Bones
by fox girl66
Summary: Forensic anthropologist Sakura Haruno teams up with FBI agent Sasuke Uchiha to investigate murders that have left scant evidence behind; namely, the bones of the deceased. (Full of action, drama, and romance.) Sasu/Saku Naru/Hina Shika/Ino
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: i do not own naruto in any way. **

**Ino's pov**

A well dressed woman rushed towards the arrival boards in a busy airport.

"I'm late…"

I looked up at the boards to see that they were malfunctioning. So I spoke around to the people around me to see if any of them knew about the flight I'm expecting.

"This board is broken. The arrivals board is not working. Uh, did anybody meet the flight from Guatemala? Aviateca airlines? What gate? Yeah, right. I'm late."

I stepped up to a customer service desk and tried to ask the busy man about the flight.

"Excuse me, uh; you have a computer glitch at the arrivals board."

The customer service agent just ignored me.

"Hello! Sir, excuse me, yoo-hoo!"

So the customer service guy holds up a finger to silence me.

"Great."

So I ripped open my button down shirt revealing a lacy bodice, getting the young guy's attention.  
"Yeah. Hi. The flight from Guatemala?"

**Sakura's pov**

"Tell me you tried 'excuse me' first. "  
I said while walking up behind Ino.

"Sweeeeetie. Yes, I did." I said while hugging Sakura. "Welcome home. Are you exhausted? Was Guatemala awful? Was it horribly backward?"

"And yet I was never reduced to flashing my boobs for information."

"Flash them for any fun reasons?" Ino pestered me.

"I was literally neck deep in a mass grave, not romantic."

"You know, diving in a pit of cadavers is no way to handle a messy break up."

"Ino, nothing Kiba and I ever did was messy."

Ino laughed. "Then you were not doing the right things.

Sakura suddenly turned, dropping her bag, to confront a man dressed in a suit who has been following the two ladies as they walked through the airport.

"Sir, why are you following us?" I asked.

The unknown man reached out to take Sakura's arm. Moving quickly, Sakura subdues the man with some strategic kicks and punches.

"Attack! Security! Hello! Who runs this airport? Ino yelled before joining into the fight by hitting the man with her purse.  
"Kick his ass sweetie!"

"Police! Mam, step back now!"

"He attacked me!" I yelled in disbelief.

"I'm Homeland Security!"

"Oh, little misunderstanding here." Ino said.

I put my hands in the air so the police would put their guns away.  
"You can put away your guns."

"What is she in charge now? No. I'll tell you when you can lower your weapons." he said to the officers before looking back at me.

"Hand over the bag."

Reaching down to retrieve the bag I said, "Is that what this is about?"

Homeland Security agent opens the bag to reveal a skull

"Boo." I said to him.

* * *

**Sakura sitting at a table being question by the police.**

"I am Doctor Sakura Haruno. I've been in Guatemala for two months identifying victims of genocide including him." I said gesturing to the skull.

"Most people in this situation, what they do is, they sweat it."

"Guatemala, genocide? How are you scary after that?"

"You know who doesn't sweat it?"

The female agent who is also in the room said, "Sociopaths."

"I am not a sociopath, I'm an anthropologist at the Jeffersonian."

"Who works for the FBI. Which I'd maybe believe if you had an ID that did more than allowed you access to the cafeteria."

Behind me, another man in a suit entered the room carrying a book.

"You were illegally transporting human remains mam and you assaulted a Homeland Security agent."

"Look, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends but, next time you should identify yourself before grabbing me." I said before turning to the man who just came in.

"What are you doing here?"

"FBI. Special Agent Sasuke Uchiha, Major Crime Investigation, D.C. Bones identifies bodies for us."

Sasuke said to the Security agent.

"Don't call me Bones. And I do more than identify.

Holding up the book, then sliding it across the table to the other agent Sasuke said, "She also writes books."

The agent picked up the book, and looked at it noting my name.

"Fine. She's all yours."

"Great. Let's grab your skull and let's vamoose."

"What! That's it? She's all yours? Why did you stop me?" I yelled in frustration at the officer.

"Why does it matter? You're free to go. Let's just grab your bags…"

"You set me up." I said to Sasuke. "You got a hold for questioning request from the FBI didn't you?" I asked the security officer.  
Sasuke knew he had been found out. The agent instead of saying anything just said, "I love this book." before handing it back.

I grabbed the skull and book before stalking past Sasuke saying, "Come on."

* * *

**Inside of an SUV with Sasuke driving.**

"That's the best you can do?"

"What?" Sasuke questioned.

"Getting Homeland Security to snatch me so that you can stage a fake rescue."

"Well, at least I picked you up at the airport huh? Hey, come on. I went through the appropriate channels but your assistant there, he stonewalled me!"

"Yeah, well after the last case I told Naruto to never, ever to put you through. He's a good assistant. You can let me out anywhere along here."

"Alright, listen. A decomposed corpse was found this morning at Arlington National Cemetery down…"

"Arlington National Cemetery is full of decomposed corpses, it's… a cemetery."

"Yeah, but this one is your type of corpse, it wasn't in a casket."

"If you drive one more block, I'm screaming 'kidnap' out the window."

"Do you know what, I'm trying to mend bridges here."

"Pull over."

Sasuke pulled over the car and we both got out.

"I'm going home." I said walking quickly away from Sasuke who started to follow.

"Great! Could we… Look, could we just skip this part?"

"I find you very condescending."

"Me! I'm condescending? I'm not the one who's got to mention that she's got a Doctorate every, five, minutes."

"I am the one with the Doctorate."

"Yeah, well you know what? I'm the one with the badge and the gun huh. You know, you're not the only forensic anthropologist in town."

I laughed. "Yes I am. The next nearest is in Montreal. Parlez-vous francais?"

"What's it going to take?"

I stopped and turned to face him.  
"Full participation in the case."

"Fine."

"Not just lab work, everything."

"What? Do you want me to spit in my hand? We're Scully and Mulder."

"I don't know what that means."

"It's an olive branch, just get back in the car."

* * *

**Arlington National Cemetery**

Sasuke and Sakura walked down a grassy hill, filled with row upon row of headstones, toward a large pond.

"What's the context of the find?"

"Routine landscaping, dropped a load in the local pond, one of the workmen thought he saw something."

We got to the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab van. It opened to reveal my assistant Naruto Uzumaki.

"Hi Naruto."

"Agent Booth, you remember my assistant Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Oh yeah…"

"How was Guatemala? Dig up lots of massacred victims? Learn a thing or two about machete strikes?" he asked me before I sent him off not really wanting to talk about it.

"Naruto, I need water samples and temperature readings from the pond." I said getting straight to the point.

"Right away Dr. Haruno."

"He's got no sense of discretion that kid. Typical Squint…"

"I don't know what that means."

"When cops get stuck, we bring in people like you. You know? Squints. You know, you squint at things."

"Oh, you mean people with very high IQ's and basic reasoning skills."

"Yeah." Sasuke said looking chastised.

Sasuke and I got on a boat in the middle of the pond, dropping an underwater camera that feeds to a video screen on the boat.

"What exactly am I supposed to be squinting at?"

"Oh you know, it's like pornography, you'll know it when you see it."

Out of nowhere the screen showed a skeleton under water, wrapped in what looks like chicken wire.

"Yeah okay. This is a crime scene." I announced.

**3 hours later**

I was examining the skeleton on the shore, late at night, while Naruto was taking pictures of the skeleton.

"Remains are wrapped in four-milled, flat poly-construction sheeting."

"PVC coated chicken wire." Naruto said.

"Weighted. That's why the body didn't surface during decomposition. The skeleton is complete but the skull is in fragments."

"What can you tell me?" Sasuke asked as he joined us.

"Not much. She was a young woman, probably between 18 and 22, approximately 5'3", race unknown, delicate features."

Sasuke sarcastically said, "That's all?"

"Tennis player."

"How do you get a pretty tennis player out of that yuck?"

"Epiphyses fusion gives age, pelvic bone shape gives sex…"  
Naruto stated smugly.

"Bursitis in the shoulder, somebody this young, must be an athletic injury." I said.

"When did she die?" Sasuke asked.

"Ehhhh….." I answered.

"Ehhhh…? What does that even mean?"

"Means wait until our bug and slime guy takes a look." Naruto explained.

"No clothing." I said.

"You know, in my line of work, no clothes usually means a sex crime."

"In my line of work, it could also mean the victim favored natural fibers."

"Your suit, for example, will outlast your bones by decades." Naruto told Sasuke.

"Collect silt, 3 meters radius, to a depth of 10 cm." I told Naruto before turning to Sasuke. "Your FBI forensics team can take the plastic and the chicken wire, we'll take the rest."

* * *

**Jeffersonian institute**

Dr. Jairaya and I were walking down the hall of the Jeffersonian with Naruto tagging along behind us.

"Dr. Jairaya, I wish you wouldn't just give me to the FBI."

"As a federally funded institution, the Jeffersonian must seize every opportunity to prove our worth to our friends in Congress which means, I loan you out as I see fit, especially to federal agencies."

" 'Loan out' implies property Dr. Jairaya the FBI will never respect me as property."

"I do not view you as property Dr. Haruno, you are one of the Jeffersonian's most valuable assets."

"An asset is, by definition, property." Naruto interjected.

"What's the rule Mr. Uzumaki?"

Naruto sighed. "You only converse with PhD's. You realize I am half way through two Doctorates? Two halves make a whole, so mathematically speaking…"

"Go polish a bone Mr. Uzumaki!"

Leaving Naruto behind, Dr. Jairaya and I entered an atrium in the museum.

"Dr. Jairaya. FBI agents will never respect any of us as long as you simply dole out scientists like office temps."

"Dr. Haruno, are you playing me ?"

"You know I'm no good at that." I said while flicking my bubble gum pink hair over my shoulder.

"mmm. Thus far, but you have a disturbingly steep learning curve." He said with a pervy smile while trying to check me out when he thought I wasn't looking.

* * *

**Medico-Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian**

"The pond is not only warm and teeming with microbes, which accelerated decomposition, but it houses black carp and coy which fed on the body." Shikamru said.

"Can I, as the only normal person in this room, say, Ew?" Ino said in disgust.

"I got three larval stages of trichoptera, chironimidae…"

"As we cut to the chase…" I said while not really knowing what he was talking about.

"The body was in the pond one winter and two summers."

"Spring before last."

"You really think I'm Levy?"

In a confused manner I looked at Ino who explained to me what Shimamru was talking about.

"The book."

"No, No, No. You're not in my book."

"Sure he is! We all are…" Naruto said with a huge smile while slurping on some ramen.

"Naruto!" I screeched. "Get that out of my lab!"

"I'm going!" he yelled in a scared voice while running off before I could hit him.

"No, none of you are in the book. Those are fictitious characters based on…." I said after Naruto saving himself from me strangling him.

Shikamaru interrupted us and showed us the ribcage on the screen we were standing around.  
"I found some small bone fragments in the silt."

"We're out of the book now, we're back in real life…" Ino said not really caring what Shikamaru was talking about.

"I guess Rena Temporaria."

"Frog bones…" I translated for anyone who didn't understand.

"Also some tiny gold links, those from a fine chain…"

"Point of clarification, I'm not a virgin. Nowhere near in fact." Naruto said as he came back and started talking about my book again.

"Who you captured perfectly, is Sasuke. Buttoned down but buckets of sexual confidence which, uhhh, I for one would love to tap." Ino said with a love struck smile.

"It's not right to discuss tapping asses in front of a soaker." Naruto said referring to the body.

"I can't bounce back and forth between my book and real life. Since we're stuck with real life let's just forget the book."

"I haven't analyzed whatever it was the victim was holding in her hand but it looks like cellulose." Shikamaru said while staring intently at his microscope.

"Paper?" Ino questioned.

"Possibly."

"I found microscopic grit embedded in the skull fragments, I need you to identify those too. Remove the remaining tissue, I'll rebreed the skull fragments myself, reassemble it so Ino can put a face on our victim." I told Naruto.

"Good. I prefer holographs, they don't stink." Ino told us all while flipping her long blond ponytail over her shoulder.

The group began to disperse to do their job while I walked over to Naruto.

"Naruto, I don't like those terms for human remains; soaker, crispy critter…"

"Sorry Dr. Haruno." Naruto said as he bowed his head in shame.

Several hours later I found myself in the lab at a table reconstructing the skull piece by piece. I continued throughout the night and before I knew it I was being woken up by Naruto setting a cup of coffee on the table for me. We chatted for awhile before I headed home to take a well deserved shower.

* * *

**Sasuke's pov**

I was sitting in my boss's, Deputy Director Kakashi, office across from him talking about our case and Sakura.

"So, you guaranteed a squint a field role in an active murder investigation."

"Yes sir."

"The one that wrote the book."

"Yes sir."

"Thought you said that she wouldn't work with you anymore."

"Well, the last case we worked she provided a description of the murder weapon and the murderer but I didn't give her much credence."

"Why not?"

"Because she did it by looking at the victim's autopsy x-rays

The director snorted and said, "Well I wouldn't give it much credence either."

"Turns out she was right on both plus the pond victim, Sakura gives me the victim's age, sex and favorite sport."

Kakashi chuckled and said, "Which is?"

"Tennis"

Kakashi said in awe, "She's good."

"Oh, she's amazing. If the only way I can get her back to my side is to bring her out in the field, I'm willing."

"Well, Squints like to stay safe, back at the lab. What's with Haruno?"

"Remember a case back in the early 90's, a couple goes missing on the interstate, car was found at a rest stop?"

"Yeah. Upstate New York, upstanding citizens, nobody found anything…"

I bent forward and interlaced my fingers while setting my chin on top of them.  
"Those are Sakura's parents."

Kakashi thought for a moment before he decided.  
"Fine. She's on you. Take a Squint out in the field, she's your responsibility."

"Thank you sir."

* * *

**Sakura's pov**

I was sleeping at home when I heard a noise. I scrambled over to the side of my bed and pulled out the bat that I had hidden underneath. Quietly slipping down the hall, I held the bat up in case I needed a weapon. As a man walks through a bead curtain I slammed the bat into the front of the TV that he was carrying.

I held the bat up in the air and looked down at the guy I had knocked down. "Kiba?"

"It's not rational for you to choose the first day I'm back to reclaim your television." I started after we had moved into my living room and were drinking coffee.

"While you were away, I thought a lot about why we broke up."

"We fought all the time and don't like each other anymore."

"We fought because you are emotionally distant and cold but sexually speaking, I think you'll agree…"

I interrupted. "You didn't come for your TV, you timed this for a booty call!"

I stood up and took the coffee from Kiba that I had given to him. I began to push him towards the door.

"OK, you're leaving."

"Your intimacy issues are probably due to being orphaned so young."

"Uhh… I hate psychology and you're just horny."

"Sakura, do you really want to spend the rest of your life alone?"

"Ok, I don't know about the rest of my life but I sure as hell wish I was alone right now."

I reached for the door and pushed Kiba out of it.

"So what, we split the cost of the TV?"

"Goodbye."

I slammed the door in his face and the phone started to ring. I picked up the phone and in an annoyed voice answered.

"What?"

* * *

**Medico-Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian, Angela's office.**

Sasuke was off brooding in a corner when I got to Angela's office.

"Good morning. Does Sasuke know how this works?"

"This computer program, which I designed, patent pending, accepts a full array of digital input, processes it and then projects it as a three dimensional holographic image."

"Hn."

"You get that?" I asked him not sure what his answered meant.

"Yeah, that and the patent pending part." he said like the smart ass he is.

"Sakura reassembled the skull and applied tissue markers."

Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, and I were gathered around the machine while Ino spoke.

"Her skull was badly damaged, but racial indicators, cheekbone dimensions, nasal arch, occipital measurements suggest African American."

"And…. We have our victim."  
A full upper body appeared on the machine in holograph form.

"Ino, rerun the program substituting Caucasian values."

The image altered slightly.

"Does she look familiar to anyone?" I asked.

Shaking his head in disbelief Sasuke answered. "No…"

"Split the difference, mixed race." I told Ino again.

Ino makes the change and the image is altered again, while Sasuke is taken aback.

"Ino, reduce tissue depth over the cheekbones to the jaw line. "

"Does anyone recognize her?"

"Not me." Naruto said while squinting at the holograph.

"Wait, is that who I think it is?" Ino asked.

"The girl who had the affair with the Senator?" Naruto finally said realizing who it was.

"Her name is Cleo Louise Eller. Only daughter to Ted and Sharon Eller. Last seen approximately 9pm, April 6, 2003 leaving the Cardio Deluxe Gym on K Street, she didn't even make it to her car." Sasuke informed.

"Pretty good memory." I commented.

"Yeah well, it's my job to find her."

"Well, in that case, congratulations on your success." Shikamaru told him.

"This isn't exactly the way I wanted it to end."

* * *

**Steps of Jeffersonian**

**Sasuke's pov**

"Cleo Eller is not just some missing girl." I stated.

"Yeah, she's a senate intern who was boinking Senator Allen Bethlehem." Shikamaru said while gazing up at the clouds.

"I was secondary in the investigation to the disappearance of that girl and we couldn't confirm that." I said with a frown.

* * *

**Back inside again**

**Sakura's pov**

"How did you recognize her before she even had her own face?"

"I recognized the underlying architecture of her features, the rest is just window dressing."

"I'm not an expert but, shouldn't he be happier?" Naruto whispered to me.

"Oh no, believe me, I'm happy." Sasuke said after eavesdropping.

"He's not happy because Senator Bethlehem chairs the Senate Committee overseeing the FBI." Shikamaru stated from over where he was staring down into his microscope.

"You seem happy to me." Ino said while cocking her head and staring at him.

"I need this kept quiet." Sasuke said to us all.

"Ha! Cover up!" Naruto said in excitement.

"So what do you do first, confront the Senator?" I asked Sasuke.

"Listen, Bones, I know…"

"Don't call me Bones!"

"I know we talked about you coming out in the field and all…"

"Ughh.. You Rat Bastard!"

"A case this big and the Director is going to create a special investigation and if I line all my ducks up in a row I could maybe, maybe I can head it up."

"I don't know what that means but I think I could be a duck."

"You're not a duck ok! On this one we stick to the book. Cops on the street, Squints in the lab."

"Well in that case, the Jeffersonian will be issuing a press release identifying the girl in the pond."

"You do that, I'm a dead duck. What are you trying to do?"

"Blackmail you." I said while staring up into his dark onyx eyes determinedly.

"Blackmail a Federal Agent?"

"Yes."

"I don't like it."

"I'm fairly certain you're not supposed to."

"Fine. You're in."

I smirked as we headed to his car.

* * *

**Kakashi's office (Director of FBI)**

"You're certain it's Cleo Eller?" Kakashi asked.

"The profile's dead on, age, race, height…" I said.

"Plus the timeline fits, I mean Cleo Eller did play tennis in college."

"Talk to me about the Senator."

Sasuke handed him a photo of the senator.  
"Cleo Eller, the victim, worked for Senator Bethlehem…"

"It was reported that they were involved sexually."

"We couldn't confirm that." Sasuke said.

"Oh Bethlehem's a hound, everybody knows that." Kakashi chuckled.

Sasuke again handed his boss another photo.  
"Ken Thompson, Cleo's boyfriend."

"Thompson's still Bethlehem's aid. Thompson keeps Bethlehem's calendar, no way the Senator has an affair that Thompson doesn't know about. No sexual relationship, no motive. What about the ahh, nutcase?"

Sasuke handed him yet another photo. "Oliver Laurier."

"You like him for this?"

"Well he's a stalker."

"What's your first move?"

"I'd like to inform the Eller's that we found their daughter."

"It's better to keep this quiet, it's been what, two years? What's another few of days?"

"With all due respect sir, I've come to know the family pretty well, especially the Major and two years is a hell of a long time in my book."

I absorbed everything in around me and jumped in to help.  
"I'll have details of cause of death by this afternoon."

"Then that's where we'll get started." Sasuke told me.

* * *

Sasuke and I were currently in his SUV heading towards Cleo's parent's house. I was looking at a Jeffersonian file and a small bottle full of dirt in my hand.

"Shikamaru identified the particulates embedded in Cleo Eller's skull as rolled steel most likely from a sledge typed hammer also there's concrete and diatomaceous earth."

"What's that?"

I handed Sasuke the bottle full if the white powder.  
"Looks like that. It's made up of prehistoric sea creatures, it's used as an insecticide, filtering agent, cleaning abrasive, ceramics… It's very common."

"Diatomaceous earth. Common or not, it's a clue." He said.  
And that was the end of our conversation. We sat in silence the rest of the way to the Eller's.

When we got there we were ushered into a very nice and formal living room where the Eller parents were waiting for us.

"You're positive it's our Cleo?" Mr. Ellen asked.

"We established 22 matching points of comparison…" I said before Sasuke cut me off with a rude look.

"Yes. We're certain." Sasuke said.

"Did he do it? The Senator. One military man to another."

"Major Eller, we can't discuss the investigation in any way."

"Can you at least tell us if our daughter suffered?" Mrs. Eller asked with a sad look on her face.

"Given the state of her skull…" I started again before Sasuke cut me off with another stern look.

"Cleo never saw it coming." He answered for me with a lie.

"Thank you."

"Mrs. Eller, can you tell us what Cleo wore around her neck?" I asked.

"Her father's Bronze Star. Ted won it in the first Gulf War then, he gave it to her for luck."  
Mrs. Eller then broke down in tears and Sasuke looked at me again.

* * *

**Back in the SUV**

"Those people deserved the truth." I told Sasuke.

"Their daughter was murdered, they deserve the kindness of a lie."

"There'll be an inquest report."

"Which they won't read because they don't want to, especially because toward the end, Cleo and her parents weren't even speaking."

"They told you that?"

"You know, getting information out of live people is a lot different than getting information out of a pile of bones, you have to offer up something of yourself first. "

"What exactly did you do in the military?"

"See? See what you did right there Bones? You asked a personal question without offering anything personal in return and since I'm not a skeleton, you get zilch. Sorry."

* * *

**Medico Legal lab in the Jeffersonian**

There are stab marks here and odd markings on the distal phalanges. Nothing I've seen before." I said aloud.

"In a nutshell; anxious, depressed and nauseous." Shikamaru randomly said.

"Take a sick day." I told him.

"Not me. Cleo Eller. Pupil casings show that she was on Lorazepam, Chloradiazepoxide, and Meclizine Hydrochloride."

"Nausea. Show me those bone fragments."

On the screen Shikamaru pulled up a picture of the bone fragments enlarged.

"These aren't frog bones, Cleo Eller was pregnant."

"Fetal remains…." Naruto said in a sad voice.

"Malleus, Incus, Stapes, these are fetal ear bones."

"The girl was pregnant." Shikamaru said again even though we already knew.

"Not very far along."

"Do you want to try to get a DNA reading see if we can prove paternity?" Naruto asked.

"You can try, let's hope there's enough genetic material to test."

"This Senator, ahhh he is smart. He gets an intern pregnant and then murders her when it threatens his career and he has the connections to get away with it." Shikamaru said from over at his table where he was looking in his microscope.

"I hate it when you make paranoia plausible, it's like sliding off a cliff."

"Special Unit? No way your FBI pal heads it up unless the dark powers in charge are convinced he knows where his political bread is buttered. Either way, this is where this investigation ends." Shikamaru said.

After we found out that we couldn't take the investigation of the body any farther I went to take a break in our lounge where Ino joined me.

"Want to get a drink? Non-topical application. Glug, glug, Woo hoo! " Ino said and then in a softer voice, "Come on Sweetie…"

As we were walking down the hallway I decided to tell Ino what was bothering me.  
"What if Sasuke's right. What if I'm only good with bones and lousy with people?"

"People like you." She said in a soft voice.

"I don't care if men like me."

Ino chuckled wryly. "Okay, interesting leap from people to men but I'm sure it means nothing."

"I hate psychology. My most meaningful relationships are with dead people!"

"Who said that?"

I sat down on I bench in the hallway and turned to face Ino who also sat down.

"It's true! I understand Cleo, and her bones are all I've ever seen. When she was seven, she broke her wrist probably falling off a bike and two weeks later, before the cast was even removed, she got right back on that bike and broke it all over again. And when she was being murdered, she fought back hard, even though she was so depressed she could hardly get up in the morning. She didn't welcome death, Cleo wanted to live."

"Honey, you ever think you come off kind of distant because you connect too much? "

"I hate psychology, it's a soft science."

"I know but, people are mostly soft."

"Except for their bones."

"Yeah… You want some advice?"

I sarcastically said. "glug, glug, woo hoo…"

"Offer up a little bit of yourself every once and awhile. Just… tell somebody something you're not completely certain you want them to know."

I laughed "God! That's the second time I've received that advice."

"Well, you know I give great advice." she smiled.

* * *

**Hart Office Building of the US Senate. Sakura is meeting with Thompson and Senator Bethlehem in an atrium of sorts.**

"I'm a little confused as to why the Director of the FBI would send you to speak to the Senator instead of coming himself."

"Probably because I'm the one who found out that Cleo Eller was pregnant."

"You can tell the girl was pregnant from her skeleton?"

"We found fetal bones, The only question now, Senator, is which one of you is the father. Are you willing to submit to a DNA test?"

Thompson told Bethlehem, "You know what, given the sensitivity, don't say anything on the subject without your attorney present. That's my advice."

"Advice I intend to take. Ken, we have a vote to get to."

The Senator tosses some gum into a trash can and I ran to retrieve it.

"Ummm, hehe, what are you doing?" Bethlehem asked.

"Saliva, say from chewing gum, is an excellent source of DNA. I intend to compare it to the DNA in the fetal bones."

"You need a warrant for that. Ken, she needs a warrant."

Thompson walked up to me intending to take the gum. He grabbed my wrist so I turned swiftly and elbowed him in the  
stomach causing him to drop to the floor.

As I was walking out of the building I turned to the men and said, "If we have any further questions, we'll be in touch."

"Ken, you okay?" Bethlehem asked him.

* * *

**An hour later I was sitting in Kakashi's office and he looked pissed.**

"When you work for the FBI Dr. Haruno, you're a Federal Agent, government property, I own you."

"I'm not certain that's accurate sir."

"Well how's this for accurate. I could place you under arrest on a Federal charge right now for uttering threats against a United States Senator."

"What…?"

"Bones…" Sasuke moaned and pinched the bridge of he's nose.

"I own her, but she was your responsibility." Kakashi told Sasuke.

"Yes sir."

Kakashi spoke into his intercom. "Send in Special Agent First." He then turned to Sasuke. "I warned you about taking squints out to the field but you vouched for her, said she wouldn't screw up."

"Yes sir."

"She accosted a Senator, assaulted his aid that counts as screwing things up."

"No! No! Uchiha didn't know I was going to see the Senator, I wanted to get a sample of his DNA."

Kakashi looked to Sasuke. "Exactly."

"Not helping…." Sasuke muttered to me under his breath.

The Agent First enters the office as Kakashi sits down behind his desk.

"Tomorrow morning I'm announcing the formation of a special unit to investigate the murder of Cleo Eller at which time your investigation will be officially terminated. You will not head the new unit." he told Sasuke.

Addressing the Agent First Sasuke said without looking him in the eyes. "Congratulations Neji."

"No hard feelings." he said back to Sasuke.

"Right."

"I need the complete case files in the morning."

"Of course, they'll be ready."  
Sasuke told him while I took in the scene. The agent had long brown hair and pupil less eyes. I wondered how he got away with the long hair since it wasn't in the male agent dress code.

"Thank you Agent First." Kakashi told him.

Getting up to leave Sasuke said "At least Dr. Haruno found out that the Senator Bethlehem was having sex with Cleo."

"I did?"

"Report said there wasn't enough DNA in the fetal bones to determine paternity." Kakashi told Sasuke.

"Senator Bethlehem didn't want Dr. Haruno to take that gum, he's hiding something."

"He didn't know there wasn't enough DNA." I told Kakashi.

"I suggest you ummm, go back to your lab Dr. Haruno and get used to being there."

"Come on Bones…"

We left Kakashi's office and Sasuke asked if I was okay.

"Don't be nice to me after I got you in trouble."

"Your heart was in the right place."

"No, I'm not a heart person, you're a heart person, I'm a brain person. You vouched for me."

"Forget it…"

"No, I won't. you think it was the Senator?"

"Look, the Senator has had sex with a dozen of these interns and he hasn't killed any of them, our best bet is still the stalker."

"You want to check him out, we can, I don't, what do you call it, roost him?"

Sasuke smirked. "Rouse."

"Rouse. Well the murderer snatched a Bronze Star from Cleo's neck so…"

"I've got twelve hours before this case is over and I'm off it so, let's go rouse."

* * *

**Oliver Laurier's house**

I was currently standing at Oliver Laurier's door. He had it open as far as the security chain would allow.

"Mr. Laurier, we have a warrant to search your apartment…."

He slammed the door in my face and turned to run but was stopped by Sasuke who snuck in through the back door. Sasuke grabbed him and pushed down to the floor.

**Sasuke's pov**

"Don't run Oliver." I calmly said.

I showed the warrant to Oliver and then went to let Sakura in. She flipped her pink hair over her shoulder and walked in.

**Sakura's pov**

Oliver was reading the warrant thoroughly as Sasuke took a look around the apartment

"Agent Uchiha is under the impression that you may have something that is pertinent to a case he is working on."

"You're looking for a Bronze Star? Like the one that Cleo wore?"

"Exactly like that one Mr. Laurier."

"I don't have it."

"Sometimes stalkers retain keepsakes."

Sasuke picked up a tiny book that was in a stack on Oliver's coffee table. "What the hell are these things huh?"

"Miniature lives of the Saints, I hand them out…."

Sasuke tossed in to me. "Heads up Bones."

He told Sasuke. "I hand them out for donations, I'm not a panhandler, help yourself."  
"I never stalked Cleo." He then told me.

"Then why did she get a restraining order?"

"Okay, okay, no. First of all no. Ken Thompson, her supposed boyfriend, got the restraining order with his boss, the Senator but Ken is only concerned with his job and his tropical fish. They colluded to ruin my reputation with this specious, stalker label when in actuality, I was Cleo's close friend."

"Then why'd you run from the warrant?"

"My fight or flight response is heavily weighted toward flight. If there is anything I can do to help you catch Cleo's killer, just tell me."

"Oh! Full confession that would be great." Sasuke said in a taunting voice.

"I love Cleo. Why would I hurt her?"

"If you don't mind, I'm gonna keep one of these little books."

"Whatever you need, Dr. Haruno."

* * *

**Jeffersonian, Angela's office, looking at the holograph of Cleo Eller**

"This is a rough composite but, you get the idea."

"Skull trauma was not the cause of death, Cleo was stabbed first. She was stabbed 5 to 8 times with a military issued K-Bar knife."

"And I just completed this rendering. The defensive wounds to the bones of her hands suggest that it wasn't until the third or the fourth penetration that…."

I interrupted Ino,"That's likely the fatal stab right there."

"..that Cleo stopped fighting back." She finished.

"I believe that the distinctive damage to her distal phalanges, the tips of her finger bones, was caused by the murderer using a knife to remove her finger pads. Cranial fragmentation suggests a 20lb hammer striking four to five times while the victims head rested on a cement floor containing traces of diatomaceous earth, that's the best explanation for the particulates found in her skull. This was not a crime of passion."

"Cleo never saw the first stab coming, it didn't arise out of an argument. Why smash Cleo's face, why whittle away her finger tips, remove her clothing and her jewelry?" Ino asked

"Sink her body." Naruto said.

"The murderer put more effort into hiding the victim's identity than he did into the murder itself." I stated while staring intently at the holograph.

"In case Cleo was identified, the murderer planted evidence. The little book that Brennan got from the stalker matches the cellulose I found in Cleo's hand."

"Military cemetery, military knife implicate her own father. More misdirection." Ino stated.

"Sound like any conniving, son-of-bitch senators you know?" Shikamaru asked in disgust.

"You expect me, to declare war on a United States Senator based on your little holographic crystal ball." Sasuke asked.

"It's not magic. It's a logical recreation of events based on evidence." I corrected him.

"No more valid than my gut."

"A good hypothesis withstands testing that's what makes it a good hypothesis." Naruto said.

"It's not a hypothesis, you have a dead girl and a United States Senator. This is exactly why squints belong in the lab, you guys don't know anything about the real world."

I glared at Sasuke and left Ino's office. "Come on, we're done here."

"Wow. Touchy…" Sasuke said to Ino who stayed in her office.

"You must know about her family. Both parents vanish when she's fifteen? Probably counts as the real world."

"Yeah. I know the story, read the file, cops never found out anything."

"Yeah. Sakura figures that if maybe somebody like her had been there…"

"For someone who hate psychology, she sure has a lot of it."

* * *

**firing range**

I had decided to go to the shooting range to take out some frustration. Sasuke saying that we knew nothing of the real world just really made me mad. Why does he have to come barging into my life and think that he knows everything about me? Or tell me what I should do to make it better!

"Thought I'd find you here. You know, you being a good shot and doing martial arts, it's all your way of dealing. Who knows better than you how fragile life can be?"

"Maybe an Army Ranger sniper who became an FBI homicide investigator?"

"Ah, you looked me up, huh?" He then referred to the gun. "Do you mind?"

"Be my guest."

"Thank You."

**Sasuke's pov**

I took the gun and purposely made a lousy shot. Sakura chuckled.

"Were you any good at being a sniper?"

"A sniper gets to know a little something about killers. Senator Bethlehem, he's no killer."

"Oh, and Oliver Laurier is?"

I backed Sakura into the wall of the firing booth and got right in her face.

"The way I read Laurier, he's unhinged. That makes him dangerous."

"That'd be your gut telling you that, correct?"

"You know, homicides, they're not solved by scientists. They're solved by guys like me asking a thousand questions a thousand times, catching people telling lies every time. You're great at what you do, Bones, but you don't solve murders, cops do."

"Cleo Eller was killed on a cement floor sprinkled with diatomaceous earth. Traces of her blood will still be in that cement. One of us is wrong, maybe both of us. But if Bethlehem wasn't a Senator, you'd be right there in his basement looking for that killing floor. You're afraid of him. Your hypothesis is that squints don't solve murders and cops do, prove it. Be a cop."

She smirked at turned to leave. I picked up the gun and quickly spun around firing three shots. Two to the heart and one to the head. All perfect kill shots.

* * *

**Sasuke's office**

I was watching some home videos of the Eller's when Sakura walked in.

"They look pretty happy, don't they. Otherwise they wouldn't turn on the camera I guess." I said to her while still watching the screen. She walked up to my desk to watch with me.

"Naruto said you wanted to see me?"

"That something you don't like to talk about? Families? Sakura, partners they, share things, builds trust."

"Since when are we partners?"

"I apologize for the assumption." I handed Sakura a piece of paper.

"You got a warrant to search Bethlehem's place?"

"You were right. If Bethlehem wasn't a Senator, I'd be in that basement, looking for that killing floor. But you're wrong, I was never afraid of that guy and I'm not doing this because you're a genius, I'm doing this for Cleo."

She smiled at me before we headed for the mansion.

* * *

**Senator Bethlehem's mansion**

**Sakura's pov**

"The warrant says they're searching for blood traces, a sledgehammer and diatomaceous earth." Thompson said.

"What the hell is that?" Bethlehem asked.

Thompson angrily stormed up to me.

"You're making a big mistake."

I Ignored him and looked to Sasuke. He seemed to be in a heated argument with Neji. I felt like I was being watched so I flicked my hair over my shoulder and turned to the gate. Oliver Laurier was watching me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Look at him, for all his politics he's got nothing. He should have loved Cleo properly like I would have. Will you sign my book?"

"Stalk me Oliver and I will Kick. Your. Ass."

Just then an agent came out of the building with a sledge hammer in an evidence bag.

"I don't recognize that, that is not mine. That is not mine!" Bethlehem yelled.

"At least we got the hammer." I said to. Sasuke as he walked up to me.

"Yeah but that's all we got."

"The cement floor in the basement?" I asked while staring up into his onyx eyes which I could find myself at times getting lost in.

"Yeah, no blood, diatomaceous earth. We needed a trifecta Bones. Physical evidence, murder weapon, crime scene…"

We sighed simultaneously before I headed back to the lab ad Sasuke went to take care of paper work.

* * *

**lounge back at the Jeffersonian**

We were all sitting around having a drink to top off the day.

"They won't even arrest him?" Naruto asked.

"Don't worry, if that's the hammer used on Cleo Eller, he'll get arrested. A toast to getting this bastard." Shikamaru said.

"The hammer's not enough. He's gonna get away with it. And maybe Sasuke is right, maybe outside the lab I'm useless."

Shikamaru held up Oliver's book.  
"Let's take guidance from the lives of the Saints."

"Alburtus Magnus, Patron Saint of Scientists." Ino said.

"I thought Magnus was the Patron Saint of fish mongers?" Naruto said while cocking his head to the side and putting of a cute little frown.

"Two separate entities. Albertus Magnus was a 13th century philosopher, the fish monger saint was a …" Shikamaru started.

"Fish!" I exclaimed and everyone looked at me. "You said that diatomaceous earth could be used as a filtering agent."

"Yeah, for swimming pools, water filters…" Shikamaru started again.

"Or tropical fish. Oliver Laurier said that Ken Thompson kept fish."

I jumped up and began to rush away.

"What's your hurry?" Ino asked me.

I turned back.  
"Thompson read the warrant, he knows we're looking for diatomaceous earth. Get in touch with Uchiha, tell him where I'm going, okay?"

Ino turned to Shikamaru. "She didn't actually say where she was going, did she?"

* * *

I pulled up to Thompson's house to see him spreading gasoline over the floor.

"Stop! You can't destroy evidence." I yelled at him from outside his house. I grabbed a planter from the ground and through it through a glass panel in his door and reached through to unlock the door.

"This is a private residence, I don't suppose you have a warrant?"

"I'm working with the FBI, if I have reasonable suspicion of a crime being committed, I don't need a warrant."

"What crime?"

"Destruction of evidence pertinent to a Federal investigation."

"I'm just cleaning up. Is that alcohol I smell on your breath?"

"This linoleum looks fairly new, what's underneath, cement? The same cement that was embedded in Cleo's skull when you bashed her head in."

"You might want to get out of here." Thompson warned me.

"I can't let you destroy evidence."

"How are you going to stop me?"

"I'll stop you." I said cockily while flipping my hair over my shoulder.

He laughed. "Not before I burn this place down with you in it."

I quickly pulled out my gun and shot him in the leg. I rushed over and held the gun on him to keep him laying down.

"I don't get it, it wasn't jealousy, it wasn't passion, Cleo wouldn't get rid of your boss's baby and so you got rid of her. What kind of psychology is that? What kind of person are you?"

Just then Oliver Laurier appeared in the door way.

"Sakura. Are you alright?"

"Oliver, I understand you're here out of a misguided concern for my safety but I apparently don't read people very well and you could be in some kind of psychotic collusion with Ken so I'm going to ask you to go over there and apply pressure to his wound until the police get here, you understand?"

"Okay. Okay. Did he kill Cleo?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay. Well, I'm down with him bleeding to death."

"Did I mention that applying pressure to a gunshot wound is extremely painful?"

* * *

**Cleo Eller's funeral**

All of us attended the funeral. Well Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, Jairaya, Sasuke and I. I left the group for a minute to lay a white rose on her coffin.

"Is the FBI going to lay charges against Sakura?" Ino asked.

"She only shot him in the leg. Once." Shikamaru said as if it would help at all.

"She didn't give him a warning. She just shot him, with alcohol on her breath." Sasuke said.

"It was her first shooting, you can't expect it to be perfect right out of the gate." Jairaya said.

"How much warning did you give people before you sniped them?" Naruto said to Sasuke.

Sasuke shot him a dirty look. He then left to catch up with Sakura who was walking across the cemetery to the road. He caught up with her and falls into step beside her with a smug grin on his face

I laughed seeing the smirk on his face. "What?"

"Told you it wasn't the Senator."

"And I told you who it was, so we're even."

"Except we work on the same cases and you end up on the New York Times Best Sellers list."

"I didn't know that!"

"Number Three, with a bullet."

"That's good right! The New York Times with a bullet…"

"It means you're rich, call your accountant."

I again laughed. "I don't have an accountant."

"Well get one."

"Okay, how does that work?" I said while looking up into his eyes with a smile.

"ugh, you need to get out of the lab you know, watch TV, turn on the radio, anything! Pick up the phone and…."

Sasuke stopped and looked back to funeral where Mr. And Mrs. Eller were laying roses on the coffin.

"You know, if it weren't for you, those people would never have known what happened to their daughter. That's got to be worse than the truth."

"I know exactly how the Eller's felt about Cleo. My parents disappeared when I was fifteen and nobody knows what happened to them."

"You know, being a sniper I took, a lot of lives, what I'd like to do before I'm done is try and catch at least that many murderers."

I laughed at first. "Please! You don't think there's some kind of cosmic balance sheet…" I caught myself before I finished. "I'd like to help you with that."

Sasuke smirked. "Ehhhh…."

Laughing I smacked Sasuke in the arm while looking at the ground while a small blush crawled up onto my face as we walked away.

**Please review! Tell me if it sucks or not. If it is completely horrible I'll probably just delete the story. I know it a big change from everyone's normal personalities. Sasuke is a lot more talkative and not as cold. Sakura is kind of lost about the real world and she is completely rational and doesn't understand why some people joke around but that slowly changes as Sasuke integrates into her life. Shikamaru is less lazy and a conspiracy theorist. He is also the bug and slime guy which would normally be Shino but you'll see why he's not later on in the story if I continue it. Ino is probably the closest to her anime personality. She is an artist as Sakura's best friend. She is beautiful and funny. Naruto isn't his normal stupid self. He is smart and the apprentice to Sakura. He will eventually become Sasuke's best friend.**

**So I guess just review and let me know how it is so I know if I should continue or not.**

**-Fox girl66**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**The man in the SUV**

**Crime scene**

**Sakura's pov**

"Bones! Bones! Over here." Sasuke yelled to me.

"Where have you been? You said you would meet us on the corner." I said while pulling my hair up into a high ponytail.

"There is a lot going on here in case you haven't noticed." He then turned to the security guard. "These girls they're with me Dr. Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamaka from the Jeffersonian.

"I need ID."

"Okay, check the RI5 list, homeland security. She's the forensic anthropologist."

"They're clear."

"Thanks. C'mon."

"God, What's that smell?" Ino asked while scrunching up her nose and throwing her head to the side.

"Burnt flesh. Are there a lot of injuries?" I said.

"Four known dead. Fifteen injured." Sasuke answered.

"Oh my God." Ino said after seeing the burned and charred bodies that lay under tarps.

"Details, whatever you have." I told Sasuke while pulling on some gloves.

"Not much. Witnesses said they saw a Middle Eastern man mid thirties pull up to the café and the car just blew. The vehicle is registered to a Hamid Masruk, head of the American-Arab friendship league."

Stepping up to the burnt out jeep I said, "If you know who it is, why do you need me?"

"Because we're hoping we're wrong. Masruk is a White House consultant for Arab relations. Had lunch with the President just last week." an agent said as he came up to us.

"Remember Agent Gibson, Homeland Security." Pointing to me he said, "Dr. Sakura Haruno."  
Pointing to Ino he said, "Ino Yamaka. If Masruk was involved in a terrorist attack it means we have a huge national security problem."

"Not to mention a very humiliated president. The press is already running with this." Agent Gibson said.

"If you think I'm going to alter my findings…" I started.

"Look, not at all but maybe it's not Masruk. We need to be sure. Uchiha says you're the best." Gibson said.

I turned to Sasuke. "I need surgical gloves and masks for the retrieval team. Sterile medical bags and vegetable oil."

"Vegetable oil?"

"The oil will loosen the seared body parts stuck to the metal. It's no different then steak on a grill that sticks."

"It's okay, I trust you."

Naruto joined the group with the requested item. Should I photograph the scene?" He asked since he had a very expensive camera around his neck.

"Focus on a 30 meter radius from the blast." I told him and he got to work.

"You know, it's okay to be upset." Sasuke told me as I bent down to pick up a charred leg that was covered in vegetable oil and loosened from the metal it was stuck on.

"I wish this is the worst thing I'd seen." I told him.

Ino handed Sasuke the retrieval bag in which I was going to put the leg.  
"You know…uh… I don't think I can…Sorry."

"Well, if you can't either…" I guestured for Sasuke to leave if he couldn't while I picked up the burned leg.

"No, I'm cool."

"Naruto, I need two more evidence bags." I told him after I finished putting the leg in the bag that Sasuke was holding.

* * *

**Medico Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian**

"Facial epidermis and the fingertips are completely decimated. We're not going to be able to ID anything from the flesh. It's basically carbon." I said.

"We are missing the lower left leg and the lumbar spine." Naruto said.

"Here's the C2 and the right ischium." I said pointing then out to Naruto.

"Smokey here had access to the President. Why would he attack a café?" Naruto asked while staring at the burnt skeleton.

"Smokey?" I asked with a raised eyebrow while glancing up at him.

"It's how I deal with the stress."

"Targeting everyday places causes panic. People stay home. The economy is crippled. It's Terrorism 101, man." Skikamaru said from his table where he was examining something flesh related.

"Take samples from the clothes. See whatever you can find. Traces of cologne, laundry detergent, anything that we can link to Masruk's home." I told Shikamaru.

"I will grab any particulates that I can identify the type of bomb." He said.

"Isn't that the FBI's job?" Naruto asked.

"What you trust the FBI? You realize those guys are going to suppress whatever they need to cover their asses."

"I found a portion of the clavicle." Naruto told me.

"Are you even listening?" Shikamaru asked him while walking up to where he was bent over the examining table.

"No." Naruto bluntly said.

"They have a separate division you know that way their hands are always clean. In 1970…"

"Shikamaru! We're trying to work." I said so he would stop.

Sasuke then came walking up the stairs to the platform behind Naara. Though Naara didn't notice him.

"Someone seems really defensive about the FBI lately. You realize Uchiha is just another Government stooge?" Shikamaru said to me still not noticing that Sasuke was standing behind him.

"This has nothing to do with Uchiha."

"You know I don't enjoy having squints on my team anymore then you like me on yours but you know we're supposed to be working together. Okay." Sasuke finally said to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru turned to face Sasuke. He was about a head shorter than Sasuke though his pineapple hair-do added a few inches to him.  
"Sure. So what do we do, group hug?"

"Agent Gibson here will be over seeing things for Homeland Security." Sasuke said ignoring Shikamaru.

"I'll try not to be in the way."

"No, uhhh …we don't need to be overseen." I told Sasuke.

"That's really not your call Bones. Okay how soon can we get the DNA match?"

"That'll take days. I can get a match much sooner then that I have all we need."

"You're going to be able to ID him from that?" Gibson asked while gesturing to the charred, burnt, and fleshy skeleton laid out on the examining table.

"Asking stuff like that is in the way." Naruto said while glaring at Gibson.

I pulled off my gloves and started to walk away. "Remove any flesh and particulates you can and then macerate him. If that's alright with you?" I said snakily to Gibson.

"Don't touch the table. Don't touch the table!" Shikamaru said in an aggravated voice to Gibson as he leaned on the table.

Sakura's office

"This is my lab. I'm a scientist. A doctor."

"Yeah, so I've heard."

"Look, would you be able to do your job if someone is looking over your shoulder all the time?"

"You do, okay I've developed a tolerance."

"I'm sorry but I don't understand the advantage of compromise."

"It's a terrorist attack Sakura. It's bigger then you and It's bigger then me."

"The job is the same." I retaliated to Sasuke.

"No, it's not! We're dealing with someone here who devalues an entire culture. Terrorizing people by using God to justify mass murder."

"You're making it personal. That doesn't help."

"It is personal Sakura. All of us die a little bit on one like this."

lab

"All the trace evidence has been stripped. Shikamaru scavenged as much as he could." Naruto said.

"Okay, let's get started." I said.

"What the hell are those?" Sasuke said referring to the jars of bugs Naruto was dumping on the body.

"Deremtus Maculatus." Naruto answered.

"Flesh eating beetles. That's how we clean the flesh off of burn victims." I told Sasuke.

Gibson's phone rang and he answered it while stepping away from the body. "Yes sir. Yes sir."

"The President wants to know how long the ID is going to take."

I referred to the beetles. "Why don't you ask them?"

* * *

**Interrogation Room with the victim's wife and brother**

Mrs. Masruk "You've made a mistake. It can't be my husband."

"My brother was no terrorist. He hated those people. You can read his speeches. Talk to anyone." Mr. Masruk said.

"We're not making any accusations." Sasuke said.

"It's all over the news. It's all anyone is talking about." Mr. Masuk said.

"We cannot control the press, Mr. Masruk." Sasuke said.

"How about your men? They've searched our house. They've talked to our friends." Mrs. Masuk said.

"Until we can identify the body we have to conduct a thorough investigation."

"So identify the body. The longer you wait... Do you know what it is like for us?"

"His body was fragmented by the blast. We're still retrieving pieces." I started before Sasuke touched my arm to silence me.  
"I understand how difficult this is not knowing. I'll work as quickly as I can to get you what you need. That's why I asked for his history. Where he grew up? Any injuries from his youth? Medical records?"

"Of course. I brought you what you asked for." She said while handing me an envelope.

"Thank you."

Mrs. Masruk started to cry. "We lived just like you. We came to this country because we love it. We are Americans. It can't be Hamid. It can't. My husband was not a terrorist."

* * *

**Lab**

"It could be a perchlorate. Would that be used in a bomb?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah but this is a crystalline structure, aluminum based." Shikamaru said while looking at his computer.

Gibson leaned over top of the computer trying to seen what they were doing. Shikamaru, annoyed, tries to pull the computer screen so he can't see it.

"Okay, I'm back. How are we doing?"

"I have his detergent brand, cologne, shampoo. He died a well-groomed man." Naruto joked.

"Thanks."

"Dr. Haruno?" Gibson asked.

"Are the bones done yet?" I asked as I ignored the agent.

"Yeah, I will check the beetles." Naruto said.

"Dr. Haruno whatever you have there…." Gibson started in an annoyed voice.

"It's a piece of paper that's all, with some writing on it." I said while waking to my office.

* * *

**Sakura's office**

"Hard at work?" Ino asked from my doorway.

"I just saw his wife. She gave me his medical records…photographs. Apparently he was ill. They were testing for Lupus which would explain the face. It must have been painful."

"Look I … I know that you needed help out there. At the crime scene and I wanted to but…"

I sat on my couch and patted the space next to me motioning for Ino to come sit.  
"It's okay. You see it. I don't anymore. I don't know what's worse."

"You holding up okay?" She asked me while joining me on the couch.

"His wife doesn't believe it was him. I've got to give her an ID."

"Whatever I can do." Ino said to help.

"Yeah, I know."

"And about this weekend…"

"Ino, I don't know."

"Oh come on."

"I don't know..." I trailed off.

"Ino I know this great club, they play Trip Hop and Trance."

"I don't know what that means." I said giving Ino a confused look.

"It doesn't matter. We'll grab Sasuke."

"No."

"I think he likes you. God if I were you, I'd buy a ticket on that ride." Ino said while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Pointing to plastic boxes full of bones on my floor. "Look, I'm going to be very busy this weekend even after the ID, I have these."

"Remains from WWI." Ino said in a sad voice.

"That's what the institution pays me for. I've got hundreds of these waiting."

"And they can't wait one more weekend?"

"They've got relatives. They've waited long enough."

"You know it's not that scary Sakura. You have a few drinks. You move to the music. You might even smile."

"The bones are clean." Naruto interrupted.

"I've gotta run. You hang around. I may need you." I told Ino while leaving her on my couch.

* * *

**Lab**

Talking into a voice recorder I said, "Comparing remains to details provided of Hamid Masruk, age 37, of Afghani origin. Texture of pubic synthesis indicates age of bone consistent with Masruk, as is height.

I pointed the voice recorder in Naruto's direction. "Complexity of the cranial vault sutures matches the statistical probability of your age and decent." he said into it.

"Good." I said while turning off the recorder.

"Too bad we can't tell why he did it. Isn't what we all really want to know"

"Uneven growth patterns in the vertebrae indicate malnourishment as a child."

"Consistent with the diet where Masruk was from. Probably evidence on the calabrium?"

"Why don't you reconstruct the skull and check it out?" I told Naruto.

"My first cranial reconstruction." Naruto smiled and said.

"Evidence of multiple fractures to the bottoms of the feet consistent with methods of torture used in Afghanistan and consistent with Masruk's history. I'm convinced we have a statistical match." I said.

"So Masruk is the bomber." Gibson said.

"Yes."

"What about the skull? You're having the kid reconstruct it…" Gibson said.

I grabbed the file.  
"This is an educational institute. He wants to learn. Is that okay with you? For forensic ID, we have all we need. Now I would like to get this data to Sasuke as soon as I can."

"I'll take it." Gibson said referring to the file.

"No, I don't think so. I work with Sasuke. That's my deal."

"Dr. Haruno, I have jurisdiction…"

"Then why don't I destroy my notes and let you guarantee the identity of the remains."

"It's best to just ride it out, like an earthquake." Ino told Gibson as I stalked away.

* * *

**Booth's apartment**

I knocked on Sasukes door only to have him to open it with his shirt unbuttoned. "Bones?"

"Yeah"

"Did we have an appointment?"

I handed over the file to him. "No, uh…it's him. Masruk is the bomber."

"I guess the wife didn't know the husband very well."

A girl walked into the room wearing one of Sasuke's shirts and not much else. she had long slender legs and a well built figure. Her hair was shoulder blade length and fell in brown waved.

"Hey."

"Hi, sorry." I said trying not to stare at her to much.

"Tenten, this is Sakura. Tenten Jankow, Dr. Sakura Haruno." Sasuke introduced us.

"Oh, hi. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" I asked.

"Tenten's an attorney." Sasuke stated.

"Mhmmm, corporate, keeping the fat cats fat."

"I was just studying a cranial fissure on a corporate attorney last week. Of course he was dead so…"

"Interesting." she said with a smile.

"Thanks."

Sasuke turned to me.  
"Well the Bureau…I was just heading to the Bureau. Santana called and said something about a bombing and I thought you were at the lab. Maybe, uh, you should come."

"Sure."

Sasuke buttoned up his shirt and kissed Tenten goodbye.  
"See you later."

* * *

**Sasuke's office**

"Okay, what is so funny?" Sasuke looked up from his desk to my snickering form.

"I just never figured you'd be in a relationship."

"Why, do you think something's wrong with me?"  
I looked him over. He had broad shoulders and a well built torso. Which I had to admit was very ripped.

"Not wrong. You just have alpha male attributes usually associated with a solitary existence."

"What! Me? You're solitary."

"No, no I'm private. It's different and we weren't talking about me."

"Well I was."

"Well I wasn't. Look, I'm happy for you. Relationships have anthropological meaning. No society can survive if sexual bonds aren't formed betw…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke cut in.

Santana then came into the office.

"Uchiha."

"Yeah?"

"You got that ID?"

"Yeah it was Masruk."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"He killed four people and injured another fifteen." I said.

Santana handed a file to Sasuke.

"The report came back from ballistics. Now the explosives were placed under the car with the trigger connected to the speedometer. Masruk was murdered."

I looked at the file as well. "So Masruk wasn't a terrorist."

"Somebody tried to make him look like one. Any leads on who did it?" Sasuke asked.

"That's why we're paying you Sasuke.

* * *

**Interegation room**

"We're very very sorry Mrs. Masruk."

"I told you Hamid was the victim, but you wouldn't listen. You couldn't imagine an Arab who's a peace loving man."

"That's not true."

"No? We must investigate everything Mrs. Masruk. We must turn your house upside down because we believe your husband was a good man. Is that the truth?"

"No! They searched your house because Muslim extremist have declared war on the United States. Preliminary findings made your husband a suspect which we are required…" I interjected.

"It's not Bureau policy to target or profile any ethnic group. It wasn't our intention. I can understand why you may feel offended." Sasuke said.

"I can't." I said.

"Bones!" Sasuke yelled at me.

"What? She's been a part of a criminal investigation that's all. Her rights haven't been violated. It's unfortunate that her husbands' ethnicity is a factor but to say that it isn't would be disingenuous." I retaliated.

"I'm going to have to apologize for Dr. Haruno." Sasuke said to the woman.

"It's fine, Mr. Uchiha. Honesty is always a welcome relief. So when can I bury him? When can I give him peace?"

"There are certain body parts that I'm still examining. Others are still seared to the surface of the wreckage…" I started before Sasuke again cut me off.

He quietly said to me, "I'm sure Mrs. Masruk doesn't really need to know the details."

"If I can retrieve more remains of her husband, Muslim law requires that I do."

Then to Mrs. Masruk I said, "I spent some time in Iraq identifying bodies. I'll give you whatever I can so that he can be purified for burial."

"Thank you."

"Is that all?" She asked Sasuke.

"One last thing. A few calls were made to uh, his cell phone from your house minutes before the blast."

She looked down at a family photo. "Yes, we argued. It was a family matter. My final words to him were words of anger. "

"I'm very sorry. It must be very painful." Sasuke said.

"You looked very happy in that picture." I said.

"Yes." She said while picking up her belongings to leave.

"Thank you. If there's anything else that you know that you can think of, just give us a call."  
"I think she's having an affair. Personally." Sasuke said after she left the room.

* * *

**Wong Foos**

"She was having an affair!" Sasuke said while sitting at the table.

"I'm sorry but that's an offensive assumption!" I said sitting beside him.

"Well all the signs are there."

"You can't make wild accusations about somebody's personal life based on a feeling."

"It's more then a feeling. Okay, that photograph is evidence just as solid as the markers you squints pick up looking at your little bones."

"The evidence that I find isn't empirical. What you consider evidence is merely conjecture."

"She dyed her hair. She lost weight. You know she shoved a little Botox in her forehead. She's still feeling guilty over the last fight she had with her husband."

Uhh! You are an insufferable…arrogant….man!" I said frustrated.

"Oh! So only a woman could know a woman. I thought woman wanted us to understand them." Sasuke retaliated.

"Not really. A magician never wants to reveal her tricks…" Ino said as she sat at the table with us.

"We're having a private conversation." Sasuke told her.

"I'm not here." Ino said holding up her hands defensively as if it would make her disappear.

"So you think you know woman just because you live with some sexy lawyer? Unbelievable." I told sasuke.

He scoffed.

"You live with a sexy lawyer?" Ino asked Sasuke intrigued.

"She has her own place okay." Sasuke told Ino.

"He thinks just because Masruk's wife started working out and had a little make over, that she was having an affair." I told Ino.

"Hmm, and how long were they married?"

"Eleven years." Sasuke told her.

"I'm with him." Ino said.

"There is no concrete proof!" I said in disbelief.

"Boobs perkier?" Ino asked Sasuke.

"Mmmm Hmm."

"I don't believe this if you're so sure then why didn't you confront her."

"Because if she or her boyfriend were involved, she would warn him." Ino said.

"Very good." Sasuke congratulated Ino.

"I'm a constant surprise." she chuckled.

"Alright. Great. I will be in the lab getting us some real data." I said leaving the table.

Sasuke sighed.

"So, how many nights a week does "sexy" sleep over?" Ino pried.

"Ha, ha, hah." Sasuke said as an you don't get to know answer.

* * *

**Lab**

"How's it coming?" I asked Naruto.

"The Ethnoid and Sphenoid fragments won't piece together."

"Naruto, I would like to return the remains to the widow before her demise."

"I'm doing my best, Dr. Haruno. The integrity of the bone seems to be compromised. I don't know if it's the metal fragments from the blast..."

"I examined the chemicals used in the explosives. The perchlorates I found can have a degenerative effect." Shikamaru said.

"Not this quickly. Excuse me."

I said before looking through the microscope.

"Unusually soft bone tissue. You know, this has nothing to do with the blast. I owe you an apology Naruto. Do you have his medicals? Stiff joints, facial disfigurement. There's a disorganized Trabecula pattern here that his doctors wouldn't have been able to see. Could have been a degenerative disease."

"I don't get it. How does his medical condition figure into the murder?" Shikamaru asked.

"Now it's a murder. Before it was terrorism because we didn't have all the facts. You don't overlook anything when you're looking for the truth. Check for Lupus and Pagets. Do you have enough tissue?"

"Yeah, I can manage it."

"If those come back negative, he might have been exposed to a toxin which would mean his brother was too. He's exhibiting similar symptoms. I'll get the brother's medicals."

Shikamaru sighed. "I graduated top of my class, Rhode Scholar, youngest member inducted into the Academy of Physical Sciences but she still makes me feel like a cretin."

"She apologized to me." Naruto smirked.

* * *

**Farid Masruk, apartment**

"Yes, I am a Christian."

"And Hamid is Muslim and Sahar?" Sasuke asked.

"I converted. Hamid could never accept it. Religious differences caused too many problems."

"Seems to be a consistent fact throughout history."

"Please. I tried to make peace with my brother but it was difficult. There was more then religion between us." he said while guesturing for us to sit.

"Sahar mentioned that there was some…uh… family problems?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes."

"I can understand how, uh, delicate it can be."

"Did she tell you anymore then that?" Farid asked.

"No, but I mean, if you have any other information that could help us in the investigation?" Sasuke asked him.

"It's not my place."

"We're just trying to find out who killed your brother."

"Sahar was seeing another man but I can't believe she'd hurt my brother."

"Do you know who this other man is or is it just a feeling you have?" I asked him.

"I've met him. Ali Ladjavardi. He worked with Hamid at the friendship league. I wanted Hamid to confront Ladjavardi ."

"Did both you and Hamid have contact with Ladjavardi?" I asked again.

"Yes, once. Hamid, my brother brought me to meet him. Sharing a meal is a gesture of peace. I was trying to save their marriage but Sahar and Ladjavardi were not going to stop their affair so I told Hamid to repudiate her."

"Sorry?" Sasuke asked.

"In Muslim law it's a method of divorce. It's called Talak."

"I still respected his traditions."

"You and your brother seem to share a medical condition." I asked.

"Yes. Why is that important?"

"We don't mean to embarrass you, but Dr. Haruno is just trying to figure out the condition. That's routine. Part of the investigation."

"Have you seen a doctor?" I asked.

"Yes. He believes it's a genetic disorder we shared. He was going to call Hamid's physician to discuss it."

"Would you mind if we saw your medical records?" I asked.

"Of course not. If I could be helped, I welcome it."

* * *

**lab**

"Apparently, they live together a few days a week, but he was very clear that she has her own place." Ino said.

"Should you be intruding into their lives like this?" Naruto asked from his position by the skull.

"Oh yeah. Absolutely."

"We're negative for Lupus and Paget's. When you're done, I will do a scraping for environmental contaminates." Shikamaru said walking up with a file.

"I found these. Shiny flakes that caught onto the torn patches of bone." Naruto said to Shikamaru handing Hina Petrie dish.

"Bottom line, I still think Sakura has a shot with Sasuke."

"But she says she's not interested." Shikamaru interjected.

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

"Maybe she protested just enough." Naruto said.

"Puh lease. She's been sleeping alone for months. She has enough pent up sexual energy to power a small mid-western city."

"This looks like gypsum. That wouldn't cause any organic damage. It's probably used to insulate the explosives, bet the FBI doesn't know that yet." Shikamaru said from his microscope.

"I'm gonna go check out this girlfriend." Ino said before leaving.

* * *

**Interrogation room**

**Sasuke's pov**

"I'm not proud of the affair. I admired Hamid but Sahar and I were in love and I can't change that." Ladjavardi said.

"You worked with Hamid. You had access to his car." I said.

"That's ridiculous."

"You also had contact with his brother Farid who said you were less then friendly with Hamid."

"Have you ever been in the middle of a messy relationship Agent Uchiha, or are you a perfect man?"

"You know I prefer to ask the questions Mr. Ladjavardi."

"And I have the right for an attorney. Have you called the number I gave you?"

"Of course. You know I would never deny anyone his rights."

Santana entered the room. "Mr. Ladjavardi, I'm Special Agent in Charge, Santana. We're sorry for the inconvenience, you're free to go."

"Thank you."

Santana said to me, "You're finished."

"What the hell was that all about? He was a prime suspect." I said in outrage.

"He's a mole for Homeland Security. They planted him in the Arab-American Friendship League."

"He admitted the affair."

"Maybe but Homeland Security says he's clean. They do not want his cover blown."

"But sir…"

"Do I look like I'm discussing this?" Santana said angrily.

Santana left and I punched the wall.

* * *

**Sakura and Sasuke in his SUV**

**Sakura's pov**

Sasuke honked the horn. "C'mon."

"You want me to drive?"

"No. Why?"

"You're angry."

Sasuke laughed, "I'm not angry."

"Yeah, you're furious. You're going to kill somebody."

"I'm not angry. Believe me, you do not want to see me angry. That's the last thing you want to see."

"Okay."

"This is me accepting reality."

"Okay, my mistake."

"My superiors, they make the decisions, Bones. Alright. They don't think them through that's really not my problem."

"If I were you, I'd be mad. Homeland Security is preventing you from doing a proper investigation of a murder case."

"I'm a grownup. I'll deal. You know that thing where you ask for the strength to change the things that you can and the wisdom to know the difference?"

"Not really."

"Well it's a good thing."

"Who do you ask?" I asked Sasuke.

"For what?"

"For the strength and the wisdom?"

"God."

"And that works?" I asked him.

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure. Tenten?"

"Tenten! No. Why do you want to talk about Tenten?"

"What? Why? Why not? I'm sorry. We won't talk about Tenten."

"I prefer if we would just stay on point and talk about things that you like to talk about like dead people. Dead bodies?"

"Sure, sure. You've killed a lot of people, right? When you were a sniper?"

"Maybe we shouldn't talk at all."

"Right cause you're angry."

"Not angry. I'm not."

"We'll find out who killed him, Sasuke. We've got Hamid's body. You can always count on the dead."

* * *

**Lab**

"When Uchiha sends over the brothers medicals, I want them matched to Hamid's." I said.

Shikamaru handed me a sheet of paper.

"I'm starting on a tox screen."

"Farid said his doctor suspected a genetic condition. Maybe we are overlooking something." I said.

I noticed an electronic device on the table, "What is that?"

"We used the trace elements we recovered to try and build the bomb. It might give you another link." Naruto said.

"Isn't the FBI working on that?" I asked while taking a closer look at it.

"Yes, this is just for fun." Shikamaru said.

"To see who's better?" I corrected.

"Maybe, a little. Yeah."

"Good luck."

Naruto presented me with a skull.

"Ta-da."

"Nice job. No wonder you had such trouble with reconstruction look at the spread of the Trabecular pattern in the bone."

"Microscopic fissures, like cracks."

"I knew that." Shikamaru said as If his pride had been hurt.

"I don't think so." naruto smirked.

I said to both guys, "Can we focus? The spread is too rapid for any organic bones disease or genetic condition. It's definitely a toxin. Is there any surviving marrow to test?"

LUh, I'll try and find some." Naruto said.

"Let's do it." I said.

* * *

**Ino's pov**

I walked into a cafe of sorts. I spotted a girl who looked like Tenten sitting at a table snacking on a muffin. She was reading a book on the FBI also. I looked at the paper in my hand that had her picture and information on it. It was a match. I walked over to the table and dropped it causing he contents to spill on purpose. Tenten looked down from her book before getting down to help me. So we struck up a conversation.

* * *

**Lab**

**Sakura's pov**

"The marrow's degraded. I can give you basics but that's it." Shikamaru said.

"According to these tests the liver function was impaired." Naruto said staring down at a file.

"His body was trying to get rid of whatever was poisoning him." I said clearing it up.

"There is trouble in paradise." Ino said joining the group.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Tenten does not feel secure in that relationship. I think she's threatened by you."

"You talked to her?"

"She didn't say much but even though she has a phenomenal figure she was chowing down on a fat-free muffin and she was reading a book about unsolved FBI cases. Ughhh, she's obviously feeling insecure."

"She's spying for you?" Shikamaru asked me.

"No! No!" I said embarrassed.

"Even if you have nothing in common it's difficult to sublimate intense sexual attraction and we hear it's been awhile." Naruto said to me.

"Okay, Stop!" I said throwing my hands up in the air.

"He is there for the taking, honey." Ino said.

Sasuke then joined the group, "Okay, I couldn't get his medical records. What?" he said seeing as we were all staring at him with stupid faces.

"Oh nothing." I said embarrassed beyond belief.

"Trying to track down the doctor?" Sasuke asked.

"Don't need him. It's definitely a toxin but we can't determine what kind." I said looking back at the paper in my hand.

"Too bad the liver is cooked, that could tell us everything." Naruto said.

"You know, I need subtitles walking in here." Sasuke said.

"The liver is like a filter. It would contain evidence of any toxins in the system, but we don't have the liver or any of the flesh left." I said tying to explain.

"But we do have the beetles." Shikamaru said in an excited voice. He would jump at any chance to play with bugs.

"They ate Hamid's flesh and whatever organs remained and we all know you are what we eat." he said again.

"So you can ID the poison from the beetles." Sasuke said.

"You can't kill them. They have names." Naruto said trying to protect the beetles.

I took a handful from the jar. "We have to, Naruto. Some."

"In Thailand, they are sautéed in peanut oil. Mmm." Shikamaru said randomly.

"Oh." Sasuke said while parting Naruto on the shoulder who was sulking in a corner.

* * *

**later in the day, lab**

"We're going to have to run a simulation. I need you to input this skull and give me a face." I told Ino.

"You've got it."

"And no more talk about Sasuke. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"That's what friends are for."

"Please, Ino."

Sasuke came up walking behind Naruto and noticed the bomb. "Hey, Wha…Where'd you get this?"

"I'm building it. Theoretical construct of the bomb based on the particulates we gathered." Naruto told Sasuke.

"This isn't your job. The Bureau's doing this."

"Got it! They were poisoned by dioxin, a very pure form. It would stay in the system for years cause cancer, diabetes, heart attack, and the facial system bone degeneration we saw." Shikamaru said in an excited voice.

"Give me the saturation levels. Ino can use it in simulation to give us approximate date of ingestion." I said.

"How much would it take to poison them?" Sasuke asked.

"Just a little slipped into their food. Like at that lunch they had with Sahar's lover." I said while walking away.

"Impressed?" Ino nudged Sasuke.

* * *

**Angela's Office**

"Dioxin levels were 5600 parts per trillion. Speed of bone degeneration is an 88% increase over base line osteoporosis. Date of death was…" I was saying.

"I remember that one, thanks." Ino interrupted.

"Run the scenario." Sasuke said.

"I'll never get used to this." Sasuke said looking at the holigraph.

"Yeah? Chicks with toys?" Ino said playfully.

"Poor bastard." Sasuke said seeing a picture.

"Match it to his INS photograph. See how accurate you are." I said.

"Good work, Ino. Probable date of exposure, about four months ago, I'd say first week in June." I said after seeing a perfect match.

"Let's go pay a visit to Mr. Ladjavardi." Sasuke said.

Sasuke and Sakuraleaving the SUV and approaching Ladjavardi as he walks down the sidewalk

"I thought you were told to stay away from him?" I asked Sasuke.

"Yeah and as an FBI agent I cannot disobey my superior but you're not an FBI agent."

Hey! Hi! How ya doing?" I said walking up to him.

"What the hell are you doing here? You had orders."

"No. Not me. I just have a couple of quick questions for you."

"Look, I'm not involved in this. Sahar won't even talk to me anymore."

"Yeah, I wonder why?"

Ladjavardi pulled out a cell phone. "I'm calling Santana"

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"I'm warning you." he said to me.

"I wouldn't threaten her if I were you." Sasuke said.

"Look, I just want to know where you were in June, first week, to see if you poisoned Hamid and Farid."

"Subtle." Sasuke said to me.

"I'm leaving, that's it."

Ladjavardi moved to push me out of the way, but I swing my arm around and grabbed his. Pulling his arm around, I flipped him over on the sidewalk where he landed flat on his back. I walked over and put mu foot on his throat.

"Told ya. She doesn't like to be touched."

"I didn't poison anybody."

"Then tell me where you were in June."

"In Utah for training with Homeland Security. I didn't get to DC until August 12th. Check with the department."

"Alright, thanks." I said before stepping off of him.

* * *

**lab**

"The insulation they used is gypsum based with plaster and lead mixed with asbestos." Shikamaru said.

"Pyroab, It's a fire proof tile developed in 1903 by the United States gypsum company. It was only used for a few years." Naruto said.

"So probably came from the building where the bomb was constructed in." Shikamaru said.

"We find the building and we find the bomber." Naruto said.

* * *

**Sasuke and Sakura in his SUV.**

"How about this? Sahar wants out of the marriage. Hamid refuses so Sahar poisons him so that she can run off with uh A."

"Doesn't make sense." I told Sasuke.

"When someone dies the first suspect is the spouse."

"Well what about Hamid's brother? Did she poison him too?"

"Why not? You know he's pushing his nose into the marriage. I mean suddenly he is facing, you know, a devote Muslim and a fundamentalist Christian and you know and nobody allows divorce and she's pushed to murder."

"That's eschewed logic."

"Ah, C'mon Bones. Just work with me here. Alright. It's what we in the law enforcement call positing a scenario. Don't use the word eschewed."

"What if you and Tenten were going to break up and you didn't want to?"

"Interesting Bones."

"Well I'm positing a scenario. Tenten wants to break up and you don't want to so she poisons you."

"No, no, no."

"And then just to make sure she blows you up with a bomb."

"Why would Tenten do that?"

"Exactly. Thank you."

"See cause Tenten and I, that's a bad example."

"Well you're a couple in love, right?"

"Why do you keep bringing up Tenten? I mean why? What's the big deal? Is it so odd for you that I have someone in my life?"

"We were talking about couples. It's a natural segue."

"Alright, you know, you have to quit using the word segue and eschew. They sound French."

"Keep changing the subject. I get it. You're sensitive about you and Tenten."

"Why aren't we talking about you and your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"You just said that as though it's a good thing and you know what? It's a very, very sad comment on your personal life."

"Look, you're angry again." I said before my phone rang and I answered it.

"Sakura."

"The bomb insulation was made from Pyrobar which was used by an architect named William Allard. He was known for developing the Woodley Park neighborhood around 1910." Naruto said.

"Hang on a second Naruto."  
I turned to Sasuke. "The bomb was made in Woodley Park."

"That's were Farid lives. Hold on."he made a quick U-turn in the road.

"No wonder we couldn't get his medicals. He already knew what was poisoning him. Alright, just stay in contact with your boys and tell them we're going to need them. Alright, Listen Sakura, we're heading into a very unknown situation. I think it's best if you just stay in the car." I glared at him.

"Okay, then. You know, if you have to come in with me you just stay behind me." I glared at him again.

"Fine, just be careful, Alright."

* * *

**Farid's apartment**

"Okay, Anybody asks that door was open. Stay right here!" Sasuke said to me.  
"FBI Farid. Show yourself!"

I walked into his apartment and followed Sasuke into Farid's kitchen where he had been making something.

"Okay, give me Shikamaru." I said into my phone.

"Yeah?"

"Farid was making something here. Okay I got uh, melted plastic, bottles of chlorine…"

Dioxin. That's how you would make it."

"Bones!" Sasuke yelled from the bedroom.

"Yes?"

"Insulation. Farid definitely made the bomb. He killed his brother." Sasuke said referring to the hole in the closet.

"Alright, Stay with me Shikamaru." I said into the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Hamid must have been killed because he found his brother making dioxin, alright, and that's probably how they got contaminated. C'mon, A mechanics guide for Hamid's SUV. Page on the odometer, dog-eared." Sasuke said.

"He wasn't a Christian." I said looking into a book.  
"Deceit in the service of Allah is holy."

"The Koran?"

"No, Imam's twisted interpretation of the Koran so that mass murderers don't have to feel guilty." I corrected.

"He's made another bomb. It's out there, Right now!" Sasuke said after finding more bomb supplies.

"I'm convinced."

Then to Shikamaru I said.

"What's the dispersal rate for a bomb packed with say… two liters of dioxin?"

"Ahhh, homemade device similar to the car bomb that could be …three to five hundred meters if the victims weren't killed they'd develop cancer, blindness, lesions, diabetes.."

"Ah, no. Today's day is marked. Call Homeland Security they'll secure the apartment." Sasuke said while looking through a date book.

Sakura and Sasuke in his SUV Both on cell phones

"There is a convenience store across the street from Farid's apartment. The owner saw him get onto a bus and head downtown." Sasuke said into his phone.

"We're not sure what bus. Sasuke is checking with the FBI now if you find anything…" I said to Ino through my phone.

"I know. It's just these bus schedules are totally confusing."

"Yeah we saw his date book he had 5:30 circled, so just check anything that has anything to do with 5:30 that begins, ends, whatever. Yeah. I'm not going anywhere." sasuke said into his phone.

"Ino is checking too. I still don't understand why Farid would kill his brother?" I said to Saasuke.

"Because both of them were developing symptoms and then people would start asking questions then Farid would have been exposed. He had a mission to accomplish."

"How the hell does he think he's bringing about a better world by blowing people up?"

"Fanaticism and logic don't go hand in hand."

"It's almost 5:30. C'mon Ino anything between Woodley Park and downtown?" I said again into my phone.

"Okay, okay, uh…three movies start a six. There's a lecture at Fuller Hall on Birds. I can't imagine that will be crowded and a peace conference at the Hamilton Cultural Center. There will be speeches by Arab Moderates and a Congressman. That looks like the one."

"Peace Conference. Hamilton Cultural Center." I said to Sasuke.

"That's…" he started.

"That's it." I finished.

"That's gotta be it."

He said into his phone, "Okay Gibson, just get your boys over to the Hamilton Cultural Center and just keep them back when you get there. You understand me? If you spook this guy he will blow himself up before we can take him out. Fine, bye."

"Thanks Ino."

"You know, you don't have to come." Sasuke told me.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I said in outrage.

* * *

**Hamilton Cultural Center**

"Sasuke said. We'll start down here and make our way upstairs."

"Welcome to the Hamilton Center Peace Conference. We would ask that all delegates check in at the orientation located at the east entry before convening for the keynote speaker address…" an announcer said.

"There are too many ways in. Where are the reinforcements? Aren't there always reinforcements?" I asked.

"Sure, they're downstairs tying up the horses."

"Sarcasm doesn't help."

"Okay, they are mobilizing swat teams and additional agents but it takes time and if Farid has the bomb and spots them, it could be bad." Sasuke said.

"If you see him will you shoot?"

"Well, he might not have the bomb."

"You don't believe that?"

"I'm not taking out a target Sakura unless I'm sure."

"Is that how you make it easier? Calling him a target?"

"You know you really picked an odd time to have this conversation."

"Sasuke!" I yelled while pointing to Farid.

"Farid."

"There! That's Farid."

"I'm not sure."

"Look his walk is labored from the dioxin poisoning and the parietal bones in his skull match his picture."

"It's dexterous. What if you're wrong?"

"This is what I do Sasuke. Do you really want to wait? He's carrying something heavy in his camera bag, see the extra weight is causing his shoulder to…

"No, I can't!"

"He has all the markers, Sasuke."

"I need a face. I need a face." Sasuke said in desperation.

"Farid!" I shouted to him while cupping my hands around my mouth.

Farid turned around and looked at us.

"On the ground!" Sasuke yelled to Farid.

Farid reached into his bag and placed his thumb on the switch.

"He's going for the bomb." I said to Sasuke in a frantic voice.

Sasuke took aim with his large gun and shot Farid in the head. People let outs screams and ran away as they heard thE shot. Gibson moved in to check and make sure it was the right person. He took the switch out of Farid's hand Gibson took off his sunglasses and nodded his head that Sasuke got the right guy.

* * *

**Wong Foo's**

"You know I told them to tell the press is was an undercover operation."

"But it would be a rose garden ceremony. That's an honor, Right? I thought you FBI guys loved your medals?"

"There's no pleasure in taking someone's life. Nothing to celebrate."

I smiled and touched Sasuke's arm. "You saved so many people, Sasuke. Don't forget that."

"You want to get another drink?" Sasuke asked me.

"Shouldn't you be getting home? Tenten awill be worried about you." I asked Sasuke.

"Yeah. I guess I should. Thanks for your help Bones."

"Sure." I said.

* * *

**Sakura's office**

I was currently in my office identifying more more WWII skeletons. I smiled as I checked another one off of my list.

* * *

**Review please! Positive stuff only hopefully?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three: THE MAN IN THE BEAR**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**In a forest at night, Dr. Denise Randall (the vet) is performing an examination on a dead bear, while Ranger Sherman Rivers (obviously the park ranger) looks on.**

"We already know what killed the bear." Sherman said.

"Who's the vet here Sherman?" Denise said.

"You are Denise. Who's the park ranger?"

"That'd be you Sherman."

"That's why I know what killed him; scared camper drilled him with the Winchester Magnum .338"

"I get it, you're afraid I'm not showing respect to the bear spirit." The vet said.

"Because I have better things to do than wait around for you to tell me what I already know."

"The law says I have to send in as much information as I can: age, weight, what he last ate ... eww .. yummy, hot dogs, fried beans ... (digs around inside bear, and pulls out a plastic bag) ... beef jerky."

Beef jerky?" Ranger Sherman asked.

"He was in hyperphasia, eating everything he could find before going into hibernation ... oooo ..." she stopped digging.

"What?" the ranger asked.

She dug some more.

"Sherman, this is ..." She pulled out the bones of a human hand."

"Oh God." she said exchanging looks with Sherman.

* * *

**Jeffersonian. Inside the Lab Sakura is walking into her office looking at the photo of the hand, Sasuke follows her into the office.**

"Looks human to me. What's the deal?" I asked while looking at a file of the human hand.

"It was found in Eastern Washington State."

"Where?" I asked while dropping the file on my desk.

"Inside a bear."

"No, I mean... Inside a bear?"

"An autopsy revealed more bone fragments in the bear's stomach and intestines."

Sasuke leaned back against my wall and crossed his arms across his chest.

"An autopsy on an animal is called a necropsy."

I corrected him while grabbing the file and going to sit at my coffee table.

"Yeah, that's pretty crucial we get that straight right off the bat, meanwhile about the dead human being." he said sarcastically.

"What do you need me for, the bear ate somebody." I asked him.

"26 bone fragments in total, the case bumped to the Seattle field office, they bumped it to me. Check it out."

He held out a USB flash drive for me.

I sat down at my desk and plugged in the flash drive. "Why did they bump it to you?"

"Bones, I mean do you really care for the inner workings of the FBI office?"

"They bumped it to you because you work with me." I said simply.

He gave a smile of sorts. "No, they hoped you could help ID the body."

"From a hand?"

"Yeah, they have high expectations."

I looked at the screen. "Definitely human, poseable thumb, probably male from the size .. Uh oh."

Sasuke walked around my desk to look at the computer screen.

"What?" he asked.

"Kerf marks. Marks made from a cutting tool."

"Maybe when they cut open the bear?" He suggested.

I looked intently at the screen. "No, it's not a straight edge. Residual cross section stria. I said pointing to the screen.

"Just because you say it in that definitive tone doesn't mean it means anything to me."

"These marks where made from a saw, the hand was already separated from the rest of the person when the bear ate it."

"Somebody was dismembered and fed to a bear." Sasuke summed up.

"That's one possibility."

Sasuke made a face. "Whoo...k, um ... Thanks Bones."

"Glad I could help."

I said pulling the flash drive out of the computer and handed it back to Sasuke.

He took the drive and walked to the other side of the desk.

"But, you're not done."

I started looking at some other files and stuck a pen in my mouth.

"I'll check out the photographs and x-rays and see if I can confirm sex and age."

I said while writing on a chart.

"Pack your bags, we're going to Washington state."

I looked up from the chart in disbelief.

"I'm not going to Washington state!"

He sat down in a chair in front of my desk.

"Again, just because you say it in that definitive tone doesn't mean it means anything to me." he said giving me a smile.

* * *

**Sakura and Jairaya walking on catwalk overlooking the lab. Sakura not looking happy.**

"Why is Uchiha the one who decides we go to Washington state, he gets the gun and the authority, and he's the one that people like."

Jairaya shook his head.

"Firstly, he didn't decide that you go to Washington state, he made a request. I am the one who decides where you do or do not go."

"And secondly?" I questioned.

"Secondly, it's time to live a little Sakura, connect with other people."

I threw hands up in disbelief.

"Are you suggesting I take this opportunity to have sex with Uchiha on a field trip?"

"Good god, where is Dr. Floyd when you need him?" Jairaya mumbled to himself.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Which is precisely why I am sending you to the Great North woods."

He stopped walking and faced me.

"Come on now, you've partially digested dismembered skeletal remains to examine, that should put a smile on your face. Mosquitoes out there are the size of dogs, pack insect repellant."

He walked away making me wanted to scream in disbelief and anger.

* * *

**Pacific Northwest, car driving on a hillside road. Sasuke and Sakura are sitting inside the car**

Sasuke who was drivinbegan talking.

"You know being cooped up in crappy hotel in the middle of nowhere, with a fifty dollar per diem, is not my idea of a good time either, you know."

I looked over at him.  
"You only get fifty dollars a day? How can you live on that?"

"OK, What do you mean, what do you get?"

"I don't have a limit, just give them the receipts."

Sasuke played with his sunglasses.

"No, you have to have a limit, everyone has a limit, we work for the government."

Yeahh... I don't have a limit."

"But, it's not fair. It's not fair to the tax payers...you're like one of those thousand dollars toilet seats."

"I imagine I am treated differently than you because I have an indispensable skill."

Sasuke muttered, "Indispensable ... I do not need you."

"Oh, so you can determine the origin of the kerf marks as well as the sex and age of the victim?"

Sasuke chuckled.

"Heh ... you're a smart ass, you know that?"

"Objectively I'd say I'm very smart, although it has nothing to do with my ass."

"You know what? I'll tell you what ... you can take me out to dinner. Put me on your tab." he said with a smirk.

"That doesn't seem ethical."

"You still want that gun now, don't you? Hm?"

"We'll start with breakfast."

Sasuke chuckled again.

"You know it's beautiful here, it's feels good to be out of the city."

"YEAH, where murders feed their victims to bears." I stated.

Sasuke pulled over on a street in a town that we had just come into. We got out of the car and I followed Sasuke with my bag slung over my shoulder.

"Small town America, gotta love it." sasuke said.

"This is not a small town. Chiantla, Guatemala, 150 people, no running water. That's a small town." I corrected.

"I said small town America, not small town Guatemala. And I've been there too, by the way."

"Where you going?" I asked Sasuke as I trailed behind him.

"See the Sheriff."

"How are you going to do that?"

He stopped and looked back at me.

"It's an old FBI trick, I'm going to ask somebody who lives here."

He then turned to walk away.

"What took you to Guatemala? Eco-tourism?" I called after him as he turned down a side street.

"I went down to shoot somebody through the heart from fifteen hundred feet."

I felt kinda sad for him. Having to kill people as a living. I shrugged and walked away heading for my hotel.

* * *

**inside what appears to be a morgue. Dr. Randall and Sherman are talking to Sakura, who is taking photos of the remains that are on the table. Dr. Rigby (Dr. Of the town) is there too.**

"I was pretty sure it was human, but I'm a vet, so I called Andrew, er, Dr. Rigby, and he thought it was human too."

"Officially, I'm the coroner here in Aurora, but I'm just a country doctor. I have no training in forensics." he said.

"This is approximately 60% of the arm of a male: late teens/early twenties, well muscled." I said while leaning over a lab table that head the peices of a meaty arm that I was arranging.

"That's amazing." Denise said. She was amazed that I could tell that from just glancing at it and putting the prices together .

"You see these marks here?"

I pointed at the arm.

"Below the radial tuberosity."

Dr. Rigby and Randall looked closer.

"You haven't by any chance performed any amputations lately, have you?" I asked Dr. Rigby.

"A few frost bit toes last winter and a thumb from a nasty Murphy bit accident, why?"

"These are saw marks." I pointed at markings at the elbow of the arm.

"That's not good, people getting sawed up and eaten up by bears." Sherman said.

I walked over to my computer with my camera which I had been using to snap some pictures of the arm.

"I'm going to send this back to my lab, my people there can give a better estimate on how long ago the bear ingested the arm."

"You got pretty good equipment there, I guess? I'm still on dial-up." Denise said.

"What's the fastest way to ship a human arm?" I said ignoring Denise.

"Charlie." Denise, Sherman, and Rigby all stated.

* * *

**Sakura walking into Rapid Express, holding a large box.**

"Need a hand?" A good looking, nicely muscled, short blonde hair, man asked.

"No thanks, I'm trying to get rid of this one."

I set the box down on the counter.

"These are human remains."

"Oh." he said eyeing the box.

"I have to ship them to the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C."

I said while writing the address on the waybill.

"Cool, they have Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet there."

"Yeah, I know."

"Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves. Abraham Lincoln's assassination top hat."

I looked up and smiled at him.

"I know, I work there." I then looked back down to write.

He said smiling, "You ever sit in Archie Bunker's chair?"

"I work in a different part of the museum. I'm a forensic anthropologist."

"My name is Charlie."

Still writing and looking down at the paper is said, "Yeah, I know."

"Wow, what you can tell from like my skull structure?" He said in shock while motioning at his head.

I looked up and smiled.

"It says it on your shirt Charlie." I said pointing at the shirt.

He let out a chuckle.

"Where can I find the sheriff?"

I handed him the waybill.

"He's out past the garage on the right."

He looked down at the name on the waybill.

"Hey, Sakura Haruno...I'm reading your book."

I was turning to leave but stopped.

"It gave me a few ideas if I ever want to kill someone and get rid of the body." He said with a joking smile.

"Don't forget Charlie, the heroine always catches the bad guy."

I then turned to leave.

"Sounds good to me." Charlie said as he watched me leave.

* * *

**Lab, Naruto is in front of a computer looking at the images of the bones. Ino is looking on.**

"These are Falstaff (?) kerfs, which suggests a hand saw. The cut marks on the breakaway spurt...here (points to screen)...should give me the number of teeth per inch, but to me it just looks broken." Naruto said.

"I could work it up to a three dimensional image, see if that helps." Ino suggested.

"Dr. Haruno could do it from this." Naruto said frustrated.

"Not when she was lowly grad student, Naruto. Upload all the ditigal info Sakura sent you to my mainframe and lighten up N-man."

She then left and headed for her office.

* * *

**Uchiha and Sheriff walking down the street, talking**

"Somebody cut that guy's arm off Sheriff."

"Couldn't be a local, somebody missing an arm, that's something you'd notice."

"How many people live in Aurora?"

"326 in town, another couple hundred in the unincorporated surroundings. Maybe 1200 on the Indian reservations."

Sasuke was writing it down on a pad.

"Tourists?"

"Hikers, campers. It's beautiful country so they don't realize how dangerous it is. On average we lose a couple of people each year, cycle of life hey?"

"Lose anyone recently?"

"Woman, 29."

The sheriff pointed to a picture in a window they were passing.

"Ann Noyes from Olympia. Disappeared a couple of weeks ago, her parents said she was an "experienced" hiker."

Sasuke stopped and stared at the poster.

* * *

**inside the police station, Sasuke and the Sheriff are walking in**

"You must have a few resident crazies?" Sasuke asked the sheriff.

"Juvenile bush drinking, couple of domestics, a bar fight or two? Joy riding. The only felons we have are poachers."

He handed Sasuke a binder.

"They shoot the black bears and sell the gallbladders on the black market. Park rangers handles that stuff."

(Lady leads Sakura to the door, knocks).

"Can I help you?" The sheriff asked Sakura while waving.

"Yeah, thanks, I'm with him." I said while pointing to Sasuke.

"Suddenly I wish I was FBI." The sheriff whispered to Sasuke in a suggestive manner.

Sasuke chuckled.

"Sheriff Chris Scutter, Dr. Sakura Haruno."

The Sheriff shook my hand.

"My first forensic anthropologist (gestures to chair), please."

I set my bag down and sat in the chair.

"We need to find the rest of the body."

The Sheriff walked around his desk and sat in his chair.

"Sherman, Ranger Rivers, traced the bear's route back a week. Said he didn't find anything."

"What is he, some kind of Indian scout?" Sasuke asked.

"Sherman is a Flathead Indian, but since the bear was wearing a GPS collar, he didn't have to fully utilize his native powers."

"Did he check the scat..?" I asked the sheriff.

"What, you think there are more people parts in the bear crap?" Sasuke asked me.

"We could maybe go out with Sherman tomorrow, take a look?" The sheriff said.

"Oh, yeah, now that you've met Bones, you're all about the inter-agency cooperation." Sasuke said to him.

"Bones? Now I don't think that's anyway to talk to a lady."

"Thank you." I said getting up.

He also got up and said, "Do you have dinner plans?"

"We're working." Sasuke said while ushering me out and throwing the binder back on the desk.

"Thanks for that."

* * *

**break area at the Lab, Naruto and Shikamaru are talking about the case while drinking coffee etc.**

"All I'm saying is why cut somebody into pieces?"

Shikamaru said sitting on the couch and looking at photos.

Naruto walked over with instant ramen and also looked at the photo.

"Pack 'em up tighter maybe. Say, in a suitcase."

"How did a bear open up a suitcase?"

"I saw a documentary once where a bear got into a car and drove away." Naruto said looking at another photo.

"That was not a documentary, it was a cartoon." Shikamaru said while exchanging looks with Naruto.

(Cut to a delivery woman, TONI, walking over to them carrying the box from Brennan)

"Hello, I'm looking for a Zack Addy...got a package of human remains."

Shikamaru stood up and walked to her as Naruto looked on.

"I can sign for that. Where's jimmy?" suggesting that she had a boyfriend.

"Tahiti...Fiji...who knows? He won the lottery." She joked.

"Is it too much of a line to say 'no, we won the lottery?" The girl smiled awkwardly.

"It is, I take it back," Shikamaru shook his head. "... just compared to you, Jimmy...you know ..."

"The third nostril." she again joked.

Shikamaru laughed and Naruto looked on.

"That whistling sound when he sneezes." Shikmaru said and they both laughed.

"Unfortunately it is too soon to ask you to have coffee." Shikamaru said handing back the signing device.

"It is?"

"Yes...yes...coffee is the third delivery capper."

"So what's the first delivery capper?" She smiled seductively.

Shikamaru smiled, "Initial contact, me cute, light flirting."

"Then I'll catch you in another couple of deliveries." She said handing over the package.

"OK...bye." Shikamaru watched her go.

Naruto came up and they both watched as she swayed her hips more than normal.

"You bogarted my package." Naruto complained.

"You panicked and froze my man, thus the package came into play. Also incorrect use of verb bogarted."

He handed Naruto the package and left.

Aurora, Sasuke and Sakura are following Sherman in the forest

"We've been looking for that female hiker since she went missing. But sometimes you never find a trace, they fall in the ravine, the river. So how do you like the Evergreen Lodge?" Sherman said.

"Very nice, I have a beautiful view of the mountains from my terrace." Sakura said.

"You have a terrace?" Sasuke asked me.

"Yeah."

"I'm sharing a bathroom." Sasuke complained.

"This was where the bear was shot." Sherman pointed.

"Where did he get before he died?" Sasuke asked.

"About a hundred yards."

"How do you know that's the right way?" I asked Sasuke.

"Not hard to track a wounded bear." he said walking ahead of us.

"Ever hear of the Bone Gathers? Collecting bones so that the dead can make the journey to the next world?" Sherman said to me.

"Not even sure I believe in the next world." I answered truthfully.

"Doesn't matter what you believe in. You're a Bone Gather, that's a good thing helping the spirits move on."

I smiled at him. "Thank you. That's probably the best job description I'll ever get."

"Over here."

Sasuke said standing next to a pile of bear scat with flies swarming around it.

"You find something?"

"Some bear scat in the woods. I think he was here and he headed off over there." he pointed ahead.

I set my bag down and pulled out a pair of gloves.

"OK. See if you can find some older samples."

Sasuke and Sherman stepped back as Sakura pulled on her gloves and put the scat in some containers.

"She ain't the squeamish type, is she?" Sherman asked Sasuke.

"I'm going to go out on the limb here Sherman and guess you don't get a lot of eligible good looking women coming through town." Sasuke teased.

* * *

**Rapid Express, where Charlie is reading Sakura's book as she enters carrying another box to ship.**

"Hey, I just finished chapter seven." Charlie said while setting my book down.

"This has to go to my..." I started.

"Do you do all the stuff the girl in your book does?" Charlie interrupted.

"I'm slightly uncomfortable discussing that with you." I said while starting to write on the waybill.

"No, I'm not talking about the sex...I'm talking about the running, and the shooting. I mean, if you do do all that other stuff that's great too for you and...uh...whoever you're doing it with."

"I'd like to send this to my lab."

"More bones?" he said looking at the box.

"No, its bear scat." I said finishing writing.

"I can deal with that."

My phone chose to ring right then.

"Haruno." I answered.

"The person who belonged to the arm died approximately a week ago and the bear ate it one to three days after that." Naruto said.

"Anything from the saw?" I asked him.

"Ino is entering the date into the holographic display. I've found something else I can't categorize. Can I beam it to you?"

(If you don't know what beam means, he's just sending her pictures instantly over computers.)

I put my phone on speakerphone and set it on the counter.

"OK, hold on."

I grabbed my backpack and set it on the counter pulling out my laptop.  
. "Do you mind if I set this up here?" i asked Charlie.

"Yeah, no problem."

"Give me a second, I'm connecting to the satellite." I told Naruto.

"Yeah, alright."

"OK, I'm linked."

Charlie took the package and set it on the side of the counter. He then walked over beside me to look at the computer.

"Who's that?"

"My assistant, Naruto."

Charlie hovered over the phone.

"Hey Naruto."

"Who's that?" Naruto asked.

"The overnight guy Charlie..."

I focused on the computer. "Ok, I'm set up, you can send me the picture."

"Hey Naruto, does your boss have a boyfriend?"

"Not currently. Are you extremely good looking?"

"Yes, I am Naruto." Charlie smirked.

Ignoring their conversation I said, "Naruto, these are bite marks."

"You mean from the bear?"

"No, black bears have premolars that are small and pegged like. These marks show double cusp pattern."

"Pigs are double cusped." Naruto said randomly.

"Hey Naruto, are you extremely smart?"

"Yes, I am Charlie."

"Pigs have six incisors, these marks were made by four incisors, like a chimp but these teeth form a continuous arch." I told Naruto.

"So, what's got a continuous arch?" Charlie questioned.

"Humans." Naruto said gloomily.

"We just don't have a killer on our hands, we have a cannibal." I stated.

* * *

**street in Aurora where the Sheriff's SUV is parked. Sakura is sitting in the passenger seat while the Sheriff is eating in the drivers' seat. Sasuke is standing next to the car, talking through the window.**

"Naruto will have the Odontologist at the Jeffersonian take a look, but I am right."

"The cannibal, you mean a Hannibal Lecter type ... deal."

He took a sip from his fountain drink and I said, "I don't know what that means."

"You're certain that a human being gnawed on that bone." Sasuke interpreted.

"It gnawed, removed the flesh." I said.

"That's...that's really not good."

The sheriff said while looking sick.

"Are you sure Bones, have you ever seen anything like this before?"

"Of course I've seen this before. I did grad work among the Waori of the Amazon and they have a long history of cannibalism. I've also seen evidence of cannibalism in some twelfth century Native American sites. It's not a big deal."

"Have you ever..." The sheriff started and the pointed to his mouth.

"I've never been offered human flesh before."

"Maybe if you've had?" Sasuke inquired.

"It's an interesting question. I would have to measure my own social inculcation against objective scientific inquiry." I bluntly said.

"K, that's sick." Sasuke said looking away.

"Maybe we're looking for somebody that needs to be rescued. Maybe the young man died and the missing girl, hungry and lost came upon him needing food she..."

"Sawed him up and barbequed him..." The sheriff cut in.

"Well, there was no evidence that the hand was cooked." I corrected.

"She does not look like the type of girl who would chew on raw flesh." Sasuke said.

"You'd be surprised...when survival instincts kick in."

"If it isn't her, we're dealing with some psycho cannibal killer." Sasuke said.

"This is sick..." The sheriff said as he stopped eating his lunch.

"Somebody eating raw human flesh is going to be sick!" I realized and glanced at Sasuke.

* * *

**Lab where Naruto, Shikamaru, and Ino go over the evidence**

"Teeth marks?" Ino said looking at the photos of the hand.

Naruto who was working with something said, "Yes, and these drag marks is where the flesh was ripped right off the bone."

"Ugh, it's like a zombie movie." Ino said grossed out.

"Where is my bear poop?" Shikamaru said while pacing.

"Is it the excrement you're anxious to look at, or the hot courier?" Naruto asked him.

"What do you think?" Shikamaru deadpanned.

"Somebody gnawed on this arm like some kind of man-corn?" Ino asked.

"According to that Peruvian soccer team that crashed in the Andes, human flesh tastes like frogs' legs." Shikamaru said coming over to look at it.

"We needed another reason not to eat frog." Ino said sarcastically.

"I'm going to make a cast of these markings, I won't get a full dental impression but we'll at least get something." Naruto said.

A man then entered the room.

"Naruto, you're needed upstairs."

Naruto got up and followed the man out while Shikamaru walked over to Ino.

"Ino, if we were a Peruvian soccer team and crashed into the Andes. Who would you rather eat, me or Naruto?"

Ino sighed and gave Shikamaru a look.

"What?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief.

upstairs, where Toni (the courier) is waiting with a package.

Naruto cleared his throat walking up to the courier.

"I have a package for Naruto Uzumaki."

"That's me."

"I thought...there was the other guy."

"That's Naara, he zoomed you because you're so beautiful."

She smiled, handed over the signing device, and said, "Thanks, that's sweet."

"I'm not being sweet, it's just a fact." Naruto said signing his name.

"How old are you?" She asked handing over the package

"Twenty four."

"Twenty four..."

She reached over and touched Narutos chin saying, "I could just eat you up."

She then turned and left.

Aurora, Sakura and Dr. Rigby are walking outside the hospital

"Have you diagnosed anyone recently with a prion disease?" Sakura asked Dr. Rigby.

"Prion disease? No. Some Alzheimer's, yes. Some brain damage due to alcoholism and huffing."

"Delusions? Eradic behaviour, violent outbursts."

"The incubation period of prion disease could be years, you're thinking the cannibal might be showing symptoms of mental deterioration?" Rigby asked.

"Dr. Rigby, I never said anything about a cannibal." I said suspiciously.

"Well, it's all over town."

"Ohh... Charlie, the overnight guy. What do you think our chances are of keeping this quiet?" I said in realization.

"I'd say absolutely zero." He smiled and laughed.

* * *

**Lab, where Shikamaru and Naruto are examining the bear scat**

"You knew I was waiting to see her again." Shikamaru accused Naruto.

"You said you were waiting for your bear poop. I said 'are you excited about the excrement or the courier', and you said 'what do you think'."

"And you thought I was actually excited about excrement?" Shikamaru said upset.

Naruto smiled sneakily. "You have to clear."

"What's that?" He then asked Shikamaru who was shifting through the bear scat.

Shikamaru picked it up. "It's a piece of undigested bone."

"Metacarpal, I think that goes with my hand." Naruto said looking at it.

Shikamaru shifted some more.

"Part of a tin can, less tin fibers, a kind of sporocarp."

He then picked up a peice of red something.

"Here's something..."

He looked at it under a magnifying glass.

"Hair follicles, sebaceous glands...it's a layer of dermas,"

"Pigmentation marks on the microphage." Naruto said.

"Flap of skin with a tattoo. We need a tattoo expert." Shikamaru said in words that everyone would understand.

* * *

**Ino, who is working at her computer, putting the tattoo back together**

"It's fairly simple, two colours...red and black...some kind of native design."

"She likes me more than she likes you." Shikamaru said talking about the courier to Naruto.

"She said I was sweet." Naruto retorted.

"I made her laugh at Jimmy's third nostril."

Ino chuckled.

"That's pretty good...making a woman laugh at a third nostril."

"We have a tentative coffee date." Shikamaru added.

"She said she wanted to eat me up." Naruto attacked.

"Naruto is definitely ahead on points. Well, there it is." She said finishing the tattoo.

* * *

**Aurora, where Ino is talking via videoconference on Sakura's laptop as Sakura, Sasuke and the Sheriff look on.**

"The skin in the scat has a sun on it."

"What was that, a haiku?" The sheriff said.

"It's a tattoo." Sasuke explained.

"Hi Sasuke. Hi, I'm Ino Yamaka." Ino said to Sasuke and then flirted with the sheriff.

"How ya doing Ino?" The sheriff asked.

"Ino, focus please." I said.

"It's a Haida sun motif."

"Good work, very impressive." Sasuke complimented Ino.

"18-25 year old man with a Haida sun tattoo on his arm?" Sasuke then said to the sheriff.

The sheriff then went to check.

"Hey Sasuke, I've got a thing for tattoos, you got any?" Ino said in a flirty voice.

"Ino." I said in a stern voice.

Sasuke then went to help to sheriff. Ino and I were left to chat.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but what's up with that town? You getting any from that hot overnight guy?"

"Ino, we're trying to work."

"Is that town totally wasted on you sweetie because I take this as a sign from God to loosen up. You know what they say: What happens in Aurora, stays in Aurora."

I just sighed and closed the chat on her.

* * *

**police office**

The sheriff in front of his computer said, "I'm running a missing persons check with the new info on the tattoo. She seems very friendly, your associate."

"She's three thousand miles away." I said in a no business tone.

The sheriff looked at his computer as the beeping that was going off signaled that the search was done.

"Adam Langer, twenty two. Missing ten days from college in Richmond. (Looks at face in the picture) Wait, I know this kid, he used to come up to visit Sherman; wanted to be a Ranger."

We all exchanged a look.

**End of part one**

**Review! Please! All good things I hope?**

**-Fox girl66**


	4. Chapter 4

**The man in the bear part 2**

**Sorry guys. I would have put this all in one chapter but for some reason I guess that it was to long so they made me put it into two chapters. That is why it took me so long to update. I don't know, maybe it does that for other people to? Though I've read so reallyyy long chapters before so I don't know. Anyways hope you enjoy and please send me a review to tell me if you like it. :)**

**Sakura's pov most all of the time**

**Outside a house, dark and at night. Sakura, Sasuke and the Sheriff approaching Sherman's house**

"Look, I've known Sherman for years, I can't believe he has anything to do with this." The sheriff said before knocking on the door.

"Hey Sheriff." Sherman said opening the door.

"Hey Sherman, mind if we come in?"

"You guys here about the cannibal?" Sherman asked ushering us in.

"We can't talk about official business. How about some tea?" The sheriff said.

"Sure."

Sherman then went into another room to prepare the tea.

"What did you do that for?" Sasuke asked the sheriff.

"Give you a chance to look around, get a sense of the man."

As I was looking around, I came across something sitting on the shelf.

"The raven spirit, in some Native American stories it has a cannibalistic..."

I started before a loud noise/thud from the other room interrupted me. It sounded like a door banging shut.

Sasuke looked in the other room.

"He went out back..."

"Give me your flashlight."

"No way you can catch Sherman Rivers in the woods." The sheriff said handing Sasuke the flashlight.

"Just search the place." Sasuke said running out of the house.

* * *

**outside in the woods, Sasuke chasing after Sherman in the dark**

"Sherman, just stop!" Sasuke yelled after him while stumbling through the woods hot on his trail.

**Sherman's house, Sakura and the Sheriff are searching the place**

The sheriff looked at a wall, "I don't know if a wall of knives is evidence, but it sure is creepy."

And on the wall was various different knives which could be used to cut someone up.

* * *

**outside**

"Hey, hey ... Stop!"

Sasuke yelled pointing his flashlight and gun at Sherman who continued to run.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Sasuke said in disbelief as his flashlight died and Sherman appeared to be getting away.

* * *

**inside**

"Is there a saw?" I asked grabbing a plastic evidence bag.

"Yup." Sherman pulled on a pair of gloves and grabbed the saw before putting it in the evidence bag.

"We'll want to take it, see if it matches the cuts on Adam Langer's bone," I picked up an apple core from the garbage. "And see if this matches the teeth marks."

"As Justice of the Peace, I authorized you to open up that locked freezer."

The sheriff authorized as I was trying to break the lock on his freezer.

"Thank you."

The lock then broke so I opened it to see a freezer full of meat.

"What kind of meat do you think that is?"  
The Sheriff said exchanging a look with me.

* * *

**Car, Sasuke is driving while Sakura is talking over her cell phone with Ino, who is at the lab**

"I sent a bunch of frozen meat by overnight air and I need to know what it is as soon as possible."

"Oh, you think it's human?"

"Maybe, it's a funny color."

"So, did you catch the guy?"

"No, Sasuke lost him in the woods."

"Whoa, wait a second, I didn't lose him."

Sasuke said in defense looking over from the drivers seat.

"You didn't catch him." I bluntly stated.

"So you two have the night free?"

"Yes, we can't do anything until I get a determination on that meat and Sasuke has to wait until its light to look for the guy he lost."

Sasuje upset said, "I didn't lose him, ok. I...he...tell her that my flashlight died."

"She doesn't care." I told him.

"What?" Ino questioned.

"Give me the phone." Sasuke said sticking his hand out.

I pushed his hand away.

"It's not safe to drive and talk on the cell phone."

"Are you two fighting?"

"Professional pride, tell her. Please tell her that."

"Sasuke wants you to know that he lost the guy because his flashlight died."

"And because he's an Indian and he's a park ranger and he's very very familiar with the territory, tell her that."

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, something about Indian territory?"

"Yeah, she says she understands." I told Sasuke and the to Ino said, "I need to know about that meat as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I'll tell Naruto."

"Give me the phone...hold on."

he then took the cell phone from me.

"What?" I said angrily.

"Plus you know what? It wasn't even my flashlight ok? It was the Sheriff's flashlight and his batteries they ran out, ok?" Sasuke said with his pride obviously injured.

I grabbed my phone back from Sasuke.

"Good night Ino."

"Hey, you have to take that man for a drink...and have a little fun yourself."

"Fun and a drink, where do we find that?" I told Sasuke.

* * *

**Inside a bar, where Sakura is dancing with Charlie**

"So, I was surprised to see you here. You know in your book you don't sleep until you get your man."

"Well that's not me, it's just a character. In real life, you have to wait for lab results."

"I see, so lucky for me."

I laughed.

"I don't know, I'm afraid I'm not a very good dancer as apparently I lead."

"So, I'll follow." He smiled.

* * *

**Sasuke walking up to the bar and sits where the Sheriff is**

"Hey Sasuke, want a beer?"

"What do you need sheriff?" The bartender asked.

"Another beer."

Sakura and Charlie dancing

"You know, I climbed with Adam sometimes, so I was kind of freaked out when I found out it was his arm."

"You knew Adam Langer?"

"I taught him how to climb. Man he was strong. No matter how much I lift, I could never match him."

I felt Charlie's upper arm.

"You have excellent definition in your biceps and triceps."

"Well, thanks. And you're waist muscles feel good too."

"Transverse abdominals...thank you."

"So that meat we sent back to your lab, that wasn't, ah, more of Adam, was it?"

"I can't discuss..."

Just then Dr. Rigby cut in our dance.

"Excusez-moi."

"Dr. Rigby."

"Thought I would rescue you, can't imagine you and Charlie have a lot to talk about."

"We were managing."

Charlie then walked over to the bar, upset that Rigby cut in.

"Look, um, I guess it looks pretty bad for Sherman, huh?" Rigby said.

"I can't discuss the investigation with you Dr. Rigby."

"Look, Sherman is a Flathead. The spiritual beliefs of his tribe don't value cannibalism and they never have."

"Anthropology teaches us that beliefs and customs evolve, that's why you can still find cannibalism practiced today."

"So what, you can enjoy the act of eating another human being?" Rigby chuckled.

"I can understand it intellectually."

"Alright, I shouldn't be talking shop, not with such a beautiful woman in my arms." Rigby said before spinning me.

The sheriff then caught me cutting in.

"Hey, it's Sheriff time. You really think you can match the bite marks on Sherman's apple to the bite marks on that kid's arm bone?"

"I don't really feel comfortable discussing a case on the dance floor."

"Well, I'm the sheriff, we're colleagues." He said pointing to his badge.

"Mind if I cut in? Thought you might need a break." Sasuke said cutting in.

"What happened to your shirt?" I asked him looking at his shirt which had the top buttons undone.

"Well, we're in a bar, it's a look."

"Everybody is pumping me."

"Sorry?" Sasuke asked as confusion rose in his voice.

"For information on the case."

"Bones, they're only pretending to be interested in the case."

"Why?"

"They're hitting on you."

"Are you sure?" I laughed.

"Yes, I'm sure. You're the hottest thing this town has seen in a long time. Check out the competition."

He then dipped me back to see Denise, the vet, sitting alone at the bar.

"Now that, is somebody who wants to eat your heart."

* * *

**Lab, Shikamaru and Ino**

"What's that?"

Shikamaru who was looking at a specimen under his microscope said, "It's a sporocarp called tuber gibbosum after a week in bear poop."

"Thank you, for ruining my moment." Ino said sarcastically.

Shikamaru smiled.

"It's a mushroom and Oregon white truffle. They're a mycorrhizal species that only grows in symbiosis with Douglas-fir trees."

Ino sat down next to Shikamaru.

"Are Douglas-fir trees very very rare in the woods?"

"No."

"Then you really haven't found anything useful, have you?"

Shikamaru sighed. "No."

"Want to get something to eat?"

"Nooo..."

Ino said, "Ah," realizing that Shikamaru was expecting a package. "you're expecting a delivery tonight."

"Naruto is."

"And you're going to zoom him."

"Like the Indy 500 baby."

Shikamaru smiled at Ino who just rolled her eyes.

* * *

**Aurora, sunny day outside. Sasuke, Sakura and the Sheriff are walking around in the woods.**

"You didn't come down for breakfast Bones."

"Wasn't hungry. Sorry you had to pay for your own meal."

"Called your room, there was no answer."

"Why the sudden interest in my morning habits, Booth?"

"Well, I just thought we were going to get something to eat. And, you know...so I waited and my eggs got cold. Cold eggs. Ugh."

He hopped over a small creek and crouched down.

"This is where my flashlight failed."

"You mean my flashlight, and how can you be sure?" The sheriff said.

Sasuke picked something up.

"Cause this is where I was standing."

"A shirt button?"

"And, I heard him disappear in this direction."

Sasuke pointer and continued to walk.

"Leaving buttons on the trail must be an old fish-chewer trick." I said following Sasuke and not really understanding the concept.

"You mean a snake-eater; an old snake-eater trick." The sheriff corrected my misunderstanding.

* * *

**Lab where Shikamaru is sitting, leaning his head against his hand looking tired. Naruto approaches his table and drops a package loudly next to him.**

"Were you here all night?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Did I miss Toni?" Shikamaru aske tiredly.

"Yes, she asked about you." Naruto said walking around to face Shikamaru.

"No, you torpedoed me, didn't you?"

"No, I told her the truth—that you were sifting through excrement."

Shikamaru stood up. "You want a war? Fine, because I'm the warrior."

Ino walked up approaching both of them.

"Naruto, I got the measurements for your saw from the Inolator." (A machine that Ino created to find out the measurements of objects.)

"Now all you have to do is find a match...say thank you with gifts."

She handed Naruto a file and then turned to Shikamaru.

"Did you work all night?"

"Yes. I shaved the truffle."

"Is that anything like spanking the monkey?" She asked playfully.

"I found boring dust." He said looking at the screen.

"Is there any other kind?"

"Boring dust is produced by beetles, which means the tree the truffle grew on was infested."

Naruto looked at his file. "That's not going to impress Toni."

"That's not why I did it. I did it to serve justice and capture and murderous cannibal." Shikamaru said matter of factly.

"That'll impress the hot courier." Ino piped in.

Shikamaru smirked "Now, I'm back in the game."

* * *

**Woods, Sakura and the Sheriff are following Sasuke**

"No way you catch Sherman in the woods. He's a park ranger and an Indian." The sheriff said.

Sasuke walked into a clearing.

"He's right there."

"Oh."

Sherman was sitting on a rock a few feet away.

"Waiting for us."

Sakura's cell phone rang.

"Haruno." I answered.

"The meat samples you sent us were all Ursus Americanus." Naruto said.

"Black bear?" I asked puzzled.

"I didn't kill no one." Sherman said as we approached him.

"Why did you run?" Sasuke asked.

"You're FBI. Ever hear of Leonard Peltier? Pine Ridge?"

"Oh..."

"Wounded Knee? Indians and FBI's don't mix."

"He ran because he's the poacher." I said figuring it out.

"You're the poacher?" The sheriff asked.

"Oh shit" Sherman mumbled.

"Yeah, the meat we found in his freezer was black bear." I said.

"No wonder you never caught him."

"I want a lawyer."

"You should be on the lookout for a patch of woods that is infested with beetles." Shikamaru said."

"Ok, Shikamaru says that the bear dug up the arm in a stand of western pine beetle infested Douglas-fir." I told Sasuke.

"Say you did catch a poacher. Say he was an Indian who shouldn't have to follow white man's law anyway." Sherman said while being handcuffed.

"Not even a park ranger?" Sasuke asked.

"Say he could show you a stand of trees like that. Would you maybe let that Indian go?"

"The saw is 300 millimeter with 32 off-set teeth per inch with a wobble factor of one one-hundredth of an inch." Naruto said into my ear over the cellphone.

"That's a common hack saw, that won't help us much." I said back.

"Dr. Haruno, I'm just wondering if you're going to be sending us anymore samples." Naruto asked me.

"Yeah, even more of the same samples. You know, in case we want to double check the...data." Shikmaru also said.

Confused I said, "Ok, I'll let you know." before hanging up.

* * *

**Lab**

"Do you think she'll send more?" Naruto asked Shimamaru.

"God in heaven I hope so." Shikamaru said hopefully.

* * *

**Woods, where Sherman in handcuffs is leading them**

"The Japanese, right? Pay a fortune for that bear meat and take the gallbladders to fix up their pecker troubles." The sheriff guessed.

"Would have gotten away with it if you hadn't kept the meat in the freezer." Sasuke said.

"I'm not admitting nothing."

"He couldn't bring himself to waste the meat." I said.

Sherman stopped walking and looked up at a patch of trees.

"This patch of trees is all infested with beetles. According to the GPS, the bear was here seven days ago." Sherman said.

"That fits the timeline for the arm." I said.

"What are we looking for?" The sheriff asked.

I'm guessing we're looking for a shallow grave that has been disrupted by a hungry bear." I said.

"Or, maybe some kind of satanic stonehenge circle." Sasuke said looking down at something.

I walked over and started to take pictures. It was a circle pattern made of stone. It had some weird paintings on some of the rocks.

"You see this kind of thing all the time, kids come up here get baked and do their own version of the Blair Witch Project." The sheriff said walking over to look.

"I don't know what that means." I said confused.

"It's a horror movie Bones. Didn't make any sense though."

"Scary though with the bloody handprints." The sheriff said looking at his hand.

I pulled out my cell phone and called Ino.

"Ino, I'm going to beam you some stills of what looks like a ritualistic Indian site. A medicine wheel of some kind."

"This thing legit?" Sasuke asked Sherman.

"What am I? A shaman?"

"Dr. Jaraiya is an expert on Native American anthropology, he should be able to tell you what it means." I told Sasuke while still on the phone with Ino.

"And the symbols on the inside, Sherman ... you're looking guiltier by the minute." The sheriff said to Sherman.

"Aw, shut up Chris, you know better than that."

"Hey, you're a poacher man, and I sure as hell didn't see that coming either."

I noticed a bush that had waxy leaves which wasn't normal. I had already ended my call with Ino so I pulled on a pair of gloves and walked over to the bush.

"Got something?"

"Waxy leaves...means methane gas is leaching from the soil."

I crouched down by the bush and started to dig around.

"You mean like a body?" Sasuke asked coming over.

I pushed aside some grass to reveal a human body.

"That's Adam Langer." Sherman said looking at the face.

I pushed aside some more grass to reveal another body.

"There's a woman here too."

"Ann Noyes, the hiker."

I saw that her chest was cut open so I stuck my hand in. I pulled it out a second later. It was covered in dark red blood.

"And, she's missing her heart." I said looking at Sasuke.

* * *

**Lab, Jaraiya is looking at the photo Sakura sent with Ino.**

"It's a perversion of a Salish medicine wheel. This is the spirit chief Cha-che u-me'-chu [?]. The southern most stone should represent strength; the centre of the wheel should represent life force. But this is upside down and inside out." Jaraiya said.

"We're dealing with a cannibal."

"I suppose you could interpret this as taking energy away from someone by eating their flesh. Zoom in. Yeah, this is the symbol for strength, the arm. This one is for spirit, the heart. This one for knowledge and this is for courage."

"So we're looking for maybe a scarecrow, tin man or a lion?" Ino said skeptically.

"You say two bodies were found?"

Ino pulled up another photo of the crime scene. She then pointed to the spot where the bodies were found.

"Over here, they were dug up by a bear. One showing signs that his arm was eaten by the cannibal, the other missing her heart."

"There should be two more bodies to complete the ritual."

"They checked the site, there were only these two."

"If I have analyzed this correctly, that means there will be two more victims." Jaraiya said exchanging worried looks with Ino.

* * *

**Morgue where Sakura and Rigby are examining the two bodies**

"Both victims were killed by gun shots to the head." Rigby said examining the bodies.

"These satellite patterns at the entry wounds indicate a low caliber hand gun at close range." I said talking into my voice recorder.

"That's remarkable." Rigby said amazed that I could tell.

"Not really." I said before speaking into the recorder again. "Based on adipocere formation I am estimating the female has been dead for about..."

"A week?" Rigby cut in.

"Very good." I nodded.

"Thanks. Well her clothing matches that of Ann Noyes and the male is Adam Langer."

"My people at the Jeffersonian tell me that the medicine wheel suggests a perversion of an old healing ritual. The cannibal may have eaten the arm for strength and heart for spirit."

"Now that makes sense, from a certain point of view. Do they think it's an Indian?"

I shook my head, "No way to tell."

"I'm not a policemen but it doesn't make sense for Sherman Rivers would lead you straight to the evidence that proves he's a murderer and a cannibal."

000 hallway outside, Sasuke, the Sheriff and Sherman are talking

"Adam was a good guy. He wanted to be a park ranger...I was a...what do you call it..." Sherman said.

"His mentor?" The sheriff answered.

"That's right, his mentor. Taking him out with me on my rounds, showing him the ropes of the job."

"Well, maybe Adam found out you were poaching so you made sure he wouldn't talk." Sasuke suggested.

"Yeah, so I ate his arm and ate someone's heart for dessert, 'cause that's the type of guy I am." Sherman said sarcastically.

"Well you know he fits the description of someone who's missing an arm, why didn't you say anything?"

Sherman sighed, 'Somebody says they're maybe going to come and visit. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Maybe they go see their climbing buddy instead."

"Charlie?" The sheriff said.

"The overnight guy?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe sometimes they go visit a girl." Sherman said.

"What girl?" The sheriff asked.

"I'm not comfortable saying."

"Oh, maybe what you know, with the murders and cannibalism, you get passed that discomfort." Sasuke said.

"Adam had a thing with the vet lady, so did his buddy Charlie. You know how jealous white people can be."

"Um, in the interest of full disclosure I got to say that I see Denise from time to time too." The sheriff said raising his hand.

I walked out of the morgue talking on my phone, "You know the apple we found in Sherman's cabin?"

"You get a mold?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, the mold from the apple does not match the teeth mark on the bones." Naruto said over speakerphone.

"Thanks Naruto." I said hanging up.

"So what does that mean?" Sherman asked.

"It means you aren't the cannibal." I answered.

"I already knew that." Sherman said as the Sheriff uncuffed him.

"The point was to convince us." Sasuke said.

"What do we do now? Start checking everyone's teeth in town?" The sheriff asked.

"Not everybody." Sasuke said as if he had someone in mind.

* * *

**Inside the bar, Denise—who has been drinking—is talking with Sasuke and Sakura**

"We consume or we're consumed. We're consumed by greed, by ambition, lust, jealousy..." the vet rambled on drunkely.

"Dr. Randall...if you could just bite..." Sasuke started.

"Even, just regular love is a form of cannibalism."

"Could you just put the dental medium between your teeth?"

" I mean the whole perfect idea of love is that two people become one...now that's a kind of consumption." She kept going on.

"We're talking about something more literal, Dr. Randall." I shot a look at Sasuke, "We need her to bite it."

"Why didn't you report him missing?" Sasuke asked the vet.

"Because I would had to admit that he and I were lovers."

"Why not admit it?" I asked.

"Because it would have made another guy angry."

"What other guy?" Sasuke asked.

"Charlie...and Sheriff Scutter...and Andrew Rigby and maybe a couple of others...I don't...well, there's not a lot to do in a place like Aurora, so whatcha do, you do...a lot."

"Dr. Randall, can you just bite..." Sasuke started.

"And if I were your cannibal, would I have pointed out there were human bones in the bear after the autopsy."

"An autopsy on an animal is called a necropsy." I corrected.

"Yeah, there's a reason I get all the guys and you don't..." Denise started before biting the mouth piece, "And let me tell ya, if I ate Adam, there wouldn't be anything left."

* * *

**Lab, Naruto and Ino are looking over evidence on the screens.**

"Here, and here...these look like tooth marks again." Naruto said pointing at the screen.

"OK." Ino said not following.

"But they are too regular, they're exactly 2.4 millimeters apart. Teeth aren't that exact...it has to be some kind of machine."

"She was eaten by a machine?"

"I don't know."

* * *

**Bar, Sasuke and Sakura are leaving**

"We've got a love triangle...quadrangle...octangle...whatever. Jealousy, always a good motive."

"For murdering Adam Langer, maybe, but Ann Noyes? And the cannibalism? No, we are looking for someone who is clinically insane."

"And the whole rant thing the vet lady had about people consuming each other, that was whacky."

My phone started to ring as Sasuke finished.

"Yeah, but kind of true, don't you think? Hey Ino." I said picking up my phone.

"Sweetie, Naruto wants to beam you something."

"OK, hold on a second."

I grabbed my computer out of my backpack.

"See if you can tell what it is, but if you're in a public place, you might want to cover your screen."

Outside the bar I set up my computer on a dumpster.

"What am I looking at?"

"Indentations on Ann Noyes' sternum."

"Magnification?" I asked looking at the pictures on the screen.

"Forty."

"I can't believe both Dr. Rigby and I missed these. Good job."

"What are they?" Sasuke asked.

"How far apart are these indentations?"

"2.4 millimeters."

"Ok, these marks and the splitting of the bones here, were made by a sternum spreader." I told Sasuke.

"There's no record of Ann Noyes having heart surgery."

I shut my computer quickly and grabbed Sasuke's wrist pulling him towards his car. I explained to him what I realized along the way.

* * *

**Sasuke and Sakura walking down the hallway of the hospital**

"Rigby didn't miss it ...moments like this is why I need a gun." I said.

Sasuke stopped and grabbed one that was tucked away in his pant leg.

"Thank you."

"That is for self defense, so you don't just go blasting away in there."

"What if I have to shoot? What part of the body should I hit?"

"The part that isn't me...just stay back."

Sasuke opened the door but I just walked straight past him.

"The bodies are gone." I said.

"What's he going to do, take them into the woods for a late night snack?"

"If I were him, I would destroy the evidence." I said.

* * *

**Another room where Rigby is preparing to throw the bodies into an incinerator. Sasuke and Sakura walk in, guns drawn**

"Step away from the incinerator Dr. Rigby." Sasuke said pointing his gun while I hit the button to turn it off.

"You don't understand, it's a spiritual right to share life force with..."

"Look, you're nuts, k. We get it. We don't need to hear the rambling psycho speech on why you did it."

"You're an anthropologist, you know ancient civilizations would sacrifice some in order to preserve the strength.."

I took a bed pan and whacked Rigby in the back of the head, he fell over and was out.

" What did you do that for?" Sasuke asked.

"Nobody wants to hear that rambling psycho speech."

"A bed pan?"

I gave Sasuke a look and threw it to the ground.

* * *

**Lab, both Shikamaru and Naruto are waiting for Toni**

"Why do we have to face her together?" Naruto asked.

"Want this settled or what?"

'I definitely want this settled."

"What are you doing here?" Shikamaru asked Ino who walked up.

"You kidding? It's like watching the clash of the horny titans." Ino said.

Toni walks towards them.

"Who would like to sign for this?" Toni asked.

"Who wouldn't want to sign for it?" Shikamaru said.

"So the idea is, whoever signs for this..."

"Yes, the act of signing is an analog for..." Naruto started.

"She gets it." Shikamaru cut in.

Toni looks at the both of them, taking her time and ultimately hands it to Ino.

"Oh. (surprised) oh...oh. (chuckles) That is really sweet, thank you."

Ino took the envelope and fanned herself with it as Toni turned to leave.

"That is so hot." Shikamaru said watching Toni leave.

"Why, why is that hot? It'd be hotter if she chosen me." Naruto said jealously.

"No, this is definitely hotter." Shikamaru shook his head.

* * *

**Aurora. Sasuke and Sakura are sitting at the bar eating breakfast**

"And to think I didn't want to come here with you. I mean, this was a fascinating case...you don't often find ritual cannibalism in practice so close to home." I said taking a bite of my cereal.

"Which I find a plus."

"There are always those individuals within a species who are driven to break the most basic taboos. I mean Rigby actually ate human flesh."

"Bones, I just got my steak and eggs..."

"Rigby has a prion disease, which means he's been a cannibal for quite some time...you realize when we go to trial he could use the insanity defense." I said.

"The guy is nuts." Sasuke said.

"Yes, but is he nuts because he got a brain disease from eating human flesh or was he already nuts the first time he ate flesh or did he just lick his fingers after surgery?"

"I should just become a vegetarian." Sasuke said shoving his plate away,

"Or as an alternative just don't eat people. You know, I'm going to come back up here this winter. Charlie says the skiing is great."

"Oh, so it's Charlie." Sasuke smiled suggestively.

"Yeah, the overnight guy."

"Yeah, I know who he is."

"I bet he's a great skier...his hips and thighs are perfectly developed for strength and maneuverability..." I started.

"That's good...I'm done." Sasuke said pushing his plate even farther away.

"What? No good? Want some cornflakes? Want some? I asked spooning some for Sasuke.

"No." Sasuke said rejecting my offer.

**The end.**

**Review? Please? **

**I hope it was good!**

**-Fox girl66**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bones.**

**AN: So I know most people don't normally read the authors notes but we write them anyways. Well on to the point. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been busy with school and work as I've told those people who have sent me private messages. I hope to be updating quicker now that I have settled into my knew school year. And hopefully every one else has also.**  
**So if you could please leave a positive review it would be great. That's also a part of why I take so long to update. I'm not actually sure if anyone's reading my story and wants more. So if you could leave a review. And if I've made and spelling or grammar mistakes let me know. Or sometimes I mess up the names so just let me know and I will fix it ASAP.**  
**Well enough of me and on to the story. I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

Sakura's pov through out the whole story

Outside the building, Sakura and Sasuke are walking side-by-side toward the parking lot. They had just come from a seminar.

"Local police got an anonymous call saying that there were human remains in a field behind a mall in the suburbs." Sasuke said.

"I did an anthropological profile of the suburb as a grad student. The whole notion of a created community, a modern utopia with its own mores and rules... It's fascinating."

"Fascinating to who?"

"To "whom"." I corrected.

"Whom. (He sees the shiny, silver sports car they've walked up to and laughs) You've got to be kidding."

"What? My publishers gave it to me."

"Gave it to you?"

"Book sales are pretty good. It's supposed to be a nice car."

"Gave it to you?" Sasuke asked again.

"Yeah."

"How about I drive for once?" I asked.

"No, I cannot show up at a crime scene in that."

"Why?" I said annoyed.

"Because it would detract from the gravity of my F.B.I. presence. Especially if you parked crooked."

"Why is the F.B.I. involved in the search for human remains behind a suburban mall?"

Sasuke pulled a paper out of his jacket and hands it to me.

"Because this boy is missing." Sasuke said.

The paper is a missing person flier with a picture of a young boy on it.

"Oh… A child." I said sadly.

"Yeah."

* * *

**The field behind Clayton Hills Mall. The parking lot is filled with vehicles, among them squad cars and a coroner's van. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto are speaking with a police officer.**

"Anonymous call came in a couple hours ago. No sign of him yet." A police officer said.

"How do you know it wasn't a prank?" Sasuke asked.

The officer starts a recording of the call.

"You have to come right away! There's, like, a dead kid here, all rotted away! It's in the field behind Clayton Hills Mall. You better come!" the girl said in a scared voice.

"Well, that rings true." Sasuke said.

"Why anonymous?" I asked.

"Kids come here to party, misbehave."

"Adolescents and preadolescents tend to seek out their own space to establish their own society, to counter parental influence." Sakura said as if anyone would care.

"You mind if I make an observation?" The police officer said.

"No, of course not." I said.

"In your book, the cops come off as very one-dimensional. Why is that?"

"You mean two-dimensional." I corrected.

"One-dimensionality exists only in theory as a mathematical value." Naruto stated.

"Okay. Really looking forward to your next book." The police officer said awkwardly.

He then headed back to his car.

* * *

**A bit later, in the field. Naruto is wearing the thermal imager, which looks like a large orange and yellow helmet over his head.**

"I should be able to see any heat residue released from decomposing bodies." Naruto said.

"I'm picking something up." Naruto said.

Naruto took the thermal imager off his head.

"Oh my God." Naruto gasped.

"What? Why'd you stop?" Sasuke asked.

"You can turn on your flashlight. Aim it over there."

Sasuke pulled back some high grass and saw the mostly decomposed body of a young child.

* * *

**The Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab. The child's body is laid out on a table on the raised center platform.**

"Before proceeding with maceration, any general observations? Naruto?"

"Epiphyseal fusion puts the age at approximately six to ten years, though the stature suggest younger."

"Good. I concur. Cause of death?" I asked.

"Blunt trauma to the chest." Naruto said.

I walked over to Ino, concerned.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"He's so small. That's all. Go on with your work. I'm okay."

Sakura returns to the table.

"The remains were significantly degraded by insect and animal activity, mostly dog and rodent. Despite the condition of the body, he's been dead between only thirty-six to forty-eight hours." Shikamru said.

I gestured towards the clothes.

"These were found a few yards from the body. Notice that they are in perfect condition. What does that tell you?"

"The victim wasn't wearing them when he was killed." Naruto said.

"Which suggests he was sexually assaulted." I finished.

Ino approaches the table and hands a sheet of paper to Sakura.

"I'm done." Ino said.

I took the sketch and walked to a computer screen, where the missing flier was displayed, to compare.

"I think we have a match. The clothing matches. It's Charles Gregory Sanders."

* * *

**The Sanders house.**

"On behalf of the F.B.I., we're extremely sorry for the loss of your son." Sasuke said.

"And I have a few questions, I mean, only if you're up to it."

The mother nodded.

"You have two other sons?"

"Foster sons. Though I try not to make the distinction."

"Shawn and David Cook. They are brothers."

"Charlie was your own?"

"Yes. Charlie was mine." Margaret said as her voice began to break.

"What about Mr. Sanders?"

"We divorced shortly before Charlie was even born. He works overseas."

"He doesn't even send child support."

"You mind if I ask how you afford this nice neighborhood?" Sasuke asked.

"Child Services wouldn't allow a single mother to foster if she worked. I live off the proceeds of a generous trust fund my parents set up long ago."

"And the day that Charlie disappeared – all three boys went to the park?"

"It's two blocks away. It's a very safe neighborhood. They walk farther to school. We all keep an eye out for each other around here. People are good neighbors, take an interest."

A door opens in the background.

"Mom?"

"In here, Shawn."

Shawn and David cook cameo into the room.

"This is my son, Shawn."

"There's nothing to do here." David said.

"Our video game's broke." Shawn had.

"Shawn, David, this is Agent Sasuke. He's gonna find out what happened to Charlie."

"How're you gonna figure it out?" David asked.

"Oh, I'm in the F.B.I. We always figure it out. Boys, I mean, if it's alright with your mother, maybe I could help you out with your video game."

Margaret nods, and the boys head off with Sasuke following behind them.

* * *

**Sakura's office. All the squints are gathered there.**

"These are invitations to a banquet." Jiraiya said.

He handed an envelope to me.

"You called a special meeting to invite us to a party?" I asked.

"Don't think of it as an invitation, consider it a summons. It's for donors."

He moves to Shikamaru, who stands.

"Meet and greet, press the flesh, butt kiss…" Shikamaru started.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but these people fund our research, and all they want in return is to rub elbows with a scientist every once in awhile." Jiraiya said.

He then walked toward Ino.

"I can't make it." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, me neither." I said.

"I have a date that night." Ino stated.

Jiraiya handed Ino and invitation.

"You don't even know when it is." Jiraiya chuckled.

"Yes, Mr. Uzumaki?" Jiraiya said handing him an envelope.

"What kind of food will there be?"

"When I said you should think of this invitation as a summons, I understated. It's a subpoena. A grand-jury subpoena. Ignore it at your own peril."

"So there won't be ramen?"

"You're not gonna fire us if we don't go." I told Jiraiya.

"No, not fire you, but I can move your parking spot to Lot M. Enjoy the shuttle ride."

"The shuttle smells like feet." Naruto complained.

"I know when I'm beat. I'm in." I said.

"What the hell, it's a party." Ino gave in.

"Do I have to wear a tie?" Naruto groaned.

"Formal wear. I've arranged for a limo to pick us up here."

"Not me. I'm not afraid of parking or feet." Shikamaru insisted.

"Wait, you drive me to work. You can't just think of yourself." Naruto whined.

"Repercussions and consequences, Dr. Naara. I'm your boss, and you will go to this banquet."

Shikamaru snapped a rubberband that was around his wrist as Jiraiya exits, and Ino takes notice.

* * *

**The Sanders house. Sasuke is helping the kids with their video game.**

"Do you know what you're doing?" David asked as Sasuke put the controller back together.

"Yeah. I can fix anything."

"Cool."

"You guys, uh, you guys have girlfriends?"

"I do." David said.

"Her name's Leila." Shawn said.

"Leila. Leila." Sasuke murmured.

"I thought you were gonna ask us questions about Charlie."

"Yeah, so which one of you puny mortals wants to challenge me first?" Sasuke joked.

"Oh, me!" Shawn exclaimed.

They start playing, and Shawn eyes Sasuke a bit suspiciously.

* * *

**The Jeffersonian, Naruto's office.**

"You about to clean the bones?" I asked Naruto.

"Yes. I'm warming up the boiler now."

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"These are the smallest remains I've ever worked on." Naruto said sadly.

"That's a valid observation, Naruto, but it's not helpful to the investigation."

"Sorry, Dr. Haruno."

"I was at Waco, Branch Davidian compound. I helped identify children who had been killed in the fire. Seventeen of them."

"So, you're saying I'll get used to it?"

"No, I'm saying you'll never get used to it. We're primates. Social creatures. It's coded into our DNA to protect our young. Even from each other."

"So, I'm always going to feel terrible?"

"What helps me is to pull back emotionally. Just… put your heart in a box."

"I am not good with metaphor, Dr. Haruno."

"Focus on the details."

"Details. Yeah, I can do that." Naruto nodded.

They walk over to where the bones are laid out on a table.

"No trauma to the skull. No compound fractures. Charlie was not beaten to death or dismembered."

"It helps not to refer to the victim by name." I stated.

"Greenstick fractures on ribs four, five, six, and seven. And the sternum is snapped transversally from the tip to the xiphoid."

"Okay, what does that indicate?" I questioned.

"The victim's chest was struck by a heavy, blunt object."

"Are you completely certain we've learned everything we can from the body at this stage of decomposition?"

"I've been over everything at least three times." Naruto said.

"Smell the mouth."

Naruto looked at me skeptically before doing do.

"Anything behind the typical smells of decomposition?"

"Some kind of chemical. Chloroform. Something used to render the boy unconscious."

"Take samples from the mouth, jaw, sinuses, and… what's left of the esophagus. Kids make it harder, Naruto."

I exited and looked down at the body for a moment.

* * *

**Outside the Sanders house, Sasuke exits with Shawn, David, and Margaret.**

"All right, look, you beat me bad." Sasuke said.

"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend." David joked.

"David!" Maragaret scolded.

"It's okay, Mrs. Sanders. It's alright. No, I do have a girlfriend."

"Is she pretty?" Shawn asked.

"Nah, she's butt ugly. Got a glass eye, snaggly back teeth. So, was Leila with you the day that Charlie disappeared?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. We stopped and played some video games at the arcade."

"That must've been before you and Charlie went to the park."

"You didn't go to the mall that day, David." Margaret said.

She looked at David, who looked away.

"Shawn?" The mother questioned.

"Don't ask Shawn, mom." David said looking down at the ground.

"You met Leila at the mall, didn't you? You left Charlie with Shawn at the park." Sasuke stated.

"Well, just for a few minutes, and then they came back to the mall."

"David!"

"Shawn let go of his hand for a second, Charlie was gone like that!" David raised his voice.

Across the street, Skyler (one of shawn and davids friends) and his father load up a truck to go off on an extermination job.

"And then we came straight home." David finished.

"Charlie wasn't taken from the park, he was snatched from the mall. We've been looking in the wrong place." Sasuke said standing up and grabbing his phone.

"Come on, son. Let's go." Mr. Nelson from across the street said.

* * *

**Jeffersonian lab. Shikamaru places the victim's jawbone into a plastic box and replaces the lid. Ino approaches.**

"What's with the rubber band?" Ino asked.

"Methyl oxide vapor in this chamber will bind to whatever compound Charlie breathed in before he was killed." Shikamaru ignored the question.

Ino reached over and snapped the rubber band.

"Ouch!" Shikamaru gasped.

"It's an anger management technique, right?" Ino pried.

"The key there is management, which is what I'm doing. Managing my anger."

The box fills with vapor.

"There'll be a color change. Red for pnictogens and chalcogens, and blue for halogens."

"I get that you're a little off-kilter. Mad at the government, conspiracy of dunces, all that. Maybe even furious that you've had to mount a little boy's jawbone inside a box to find out what killed him. What I don't get is why going to a banquet makes you angry."

The vapor starts to clear, and the bone glows blue in areas.

"Halogens it is. I'm gonna scrape off the particles and see if the mass spectrometer can identify what type of halogen."

"Anger is only fear, turned inwards." Ino persisted.

She moves to leave, but stops to snap the rubber band against his wrist one more time. He flinches, and she exits.

* * *

** Ino's office. Sakura, Ino, and Booth are looking at her computer monitor.**

"There are twenty surveillance cameras taking stills every two seconds throughout the mall, including access corridors and parking lots. I concentrated on the ones aimed at the public concourse." Ino said.

"Okay, ten thousand people a day go through that mall. How are we gonna find one small kid?" Sasuke questioned.

"Ino designed a mass recognition program to apply body types to skeletal remains."

"Endomorph, ectomorph, mesomorph, that sort of thing. I modified it to scan two dimensional images. In this case, we're looking for body masses roughly congruent with Charlie, Shawn, and David."

She pointed at the screen.

"There's David." Ino said.

"You're actually one of them." Sasuke said.

"One of who?" Ino asked.

"A squint. I mean, you look normal and you act normal, but you're actually one of them."

"This whole mass recognition program was Sakura's idea. I'm completely normal. Really."

"Yeah, maybe before you got this job. But now…"

"I see Charlie." I said pointing at the screen.

"Oh. That's him, all right."

"Oh, God." Ino whispered.

"Ino? Are you okay?"

"It's just… these are probably the last pictures of this little… guy alive. Why is he alone? Why isn't anybody with him? (pause) Sorry. Max resolution is X-40 by 480 pixels per square inch."

"No, wait, he's not alone. Someone's calling him over. Can't you just zoom in?"

On the screen, Charlie walked over to a person, who's obscured by a banner.

"The fewer pixels that make up an image, the more the picture degrades once we zoom in on it. Did that sound too squinty?" Ino said.

"Any way to enhance it?" I asked.

"Well, I wouldn't bet a date with Colin Farrell on it." Ino said.

"I know him. He's funny." I said.

"Funny is Will Ferrell, sweetie. Hot is Colin Farrell."

"Now look, wait. The kid was definitely moving toward someone. He wasn't struggling. He wasn't trying to get away. You know, I want to add the neighborhood kid Skyler Nelson to the list of possible suspects."

"I have one other angle, but our bad guy is still obstructed in it." Ino said.

They all look at the screen.

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke said in anger.

* * *

**Jeffersonian hallway. Ino's sitting on a bench. Sakura approaches.**

"Are you thinking of leaving the Jeffersonian?" I asked.

"I'm not really this person." Ino sighed.

I sat down.

"What person?"

"I'm not like you. I'm not driven by the need for justice and all that. I'm a good-time girl."

"We have good times."

"Cracking jokes over murdered skeletons is not good times."

"I know it's harder on you than it is for the rest of us."

"No it's not. (pause) Why?"

"Because you look at their faces. We look at everything else. It's more clinical for us. For you – it's personal. When we see a murdered child-"

"Honey I… I'm, no offense, I'm really not up for one of your 'it takes a village' anthropology lessons. This is the longest I've ever had a job. That's because of you."

"If this is about hours, or time to do your own art, then- "

"Just let me work on it, okay? I'm an artist. I used to draw naked guys. Now I draw dead guys."

"Just don't decide anything without talking to me."

"Of course I won't." Ino confirmed.

She leaned back and sighed. I leaned back as well.

* * *

**Jeffersonian lab. Sasuke and Sakura walk down the corridor.**

"I'm afraid Ino might quit."

"I'm amazed she stuck it out this long." Sasuke said.

"Why?"

"Oh, because she's human."

I have him look.

"I'm sorry, Bones, it's just that, you know, uh… Ino didn't get the same training that the rest of you got on, uh, planet Vulcan."

"I don't know what that means." I said cocking my head.

We entered a room where the skeleton waslaid out and Naruto was waiting.

"She's more sensitive." Sasuke said.

"Who's more sensitive?"

"Ino." I told Naruto.

"She likes puppies and kitties and ducklings, and, you know, Jell-O shots and, you know, dancing on bars." Sasuke said.

"I know that. She's my best friend. And Ino's not the only person in the world who likes baby animals."

"I never got the big attraction." Naruto said from his position over by the bones.

"I rest my case. She's more sensitive."

"We cross-referenced the length and density of Charlie's leg bones with other children his age. The victim, I mean." Naruto said.

Sasuke stares at the skeleton for a moment, and is obviously emotionally affected by it. Naruto notices.

"The thing to do is concentrate on the details." Naruto said.

There's a pause.

"Let's do that."

He clears his throat.

"We found some abnormalities. They're bowed, and abnormally short."

"Also, the victim's show freezing of the joints at the hip and knee."

"Are you saying Charlie was crippled?" Sasuke asked.

"The victim was disabled, yes." I said.

"His mother never mentioned that." Sasuke said.

"The ribs are broken in two places, which is not typical of blunt-force trauma."

"How do you explain that?" I asked Naruto.

"I'd attribute it to his medical condition and the corresponding brittleness of his bones."

"I agree. What is that condition?"

"It looks like scoliosis – a bend in the spine." Naruto said observing the bones.

I walked over to the x-rays on the wall.

"I think it's more than that, Naruto. There are multiple calcified lesions on the posterior thoracic vertebrae. That, plus Charlie's short stature, and the asymmetric length of his legs… Margaret Sanders may not be Charlie's biological mother."

"What?" Sasuke said..

"Test the bones for X-linked hypophosphatemia and Coffin-Lowry Syndrome." I told Naruto.

We started to move away, but Sasuke stopped us.

"Whoa, whoa. Okay, hold on. Simmer down, just back up to the part where she's not his mother."

"Dr. Haruno is having me check for hereditary genetic defects which are always passed from mother to child." Naruto said.

"If Charlie had one, then Margaret Sanders is not his mother." I said.

* * *

**Interrogation room. Sasuke and Sakura are questioning Margaret Sanders.**

"How can you say that?" Margaret said angrily.

"Charlie suffered from a hereditary genetic disorder called hypophosphatemia." I told her.

"Charlie's real mother would have the same disease." Sasuke said.

"You do not." I said.

"Never say I wasn't Charlie's real mother, because I was."

"Biological mother, then. Mrs. Sanders, you are not Charlie's biological mother. You want to explain that to us?"

"I can't have children. That's why my husband left me. So I took in foster kids."

"Like Shawn and David Cook." I said.

"And Charlie. Though his name was Nathan. I got him as a baby down in Pittsburgh. Ten days old. His mother was arrested on drug charges, and Child Services brought him to me. Three weeks I had him. Then the charges were dropped."

"You kept him?" Sasuke asked.

"No. I gave him back. But it nearly killed me. I stayed in touch. I bought him things – formula, stroller. I wanted to make sure he was all right."

"Nathan what, Mrs. Sanders?" Sasuke asked.

"Nathan Downey. His mother was a drug addict named Janine. Christmas Day I found her dead on her kitchen floor, a needle stuck in her arm. And I could hear Charlie, crying upstairs. So I went up."

"And you took him home." I stated.

"I looked him in the eyes, and I promised him I would never leave him alone again. And he stopped crying. I expected every day for Child Services to come looking."

"He would've ended up back in the system anyway." I said.

"I meant to keep him safe… and love him. And now he's dead." Margaret said breaking down and crying.

* * *

**Sasuke's office. Sasuke enters, Sakura right behind.**

"I had to arrest her." Sasuke said.

"The story checked out. The overdose." I said following Sasuke.

"She confessed to kidnapping."

"Margaret Sanders did nothing more than respond to the anthropological imperative. She saw an orphan, and reacted." I said defensively staring up into his onxy eyes.

"This is not a National Geographic study, okay? This is the suburbs."

"Why would she kill the boy? She obviously loved him."

"There are situations, right? The kid gets sick, he doesn't turn out to be what you wanted. I bet that you could give me a dozen examples of societies that have killed their own young." Sasuke said running a hand through his hair angrily.

"What about Shawn and David Cook? Where do they go now?"

"Back into the system."

"Do you have any idea how bad the foster care system is?" I said angrily taking a step closer to Sasuke.

"Do you? What do you want to do, hmm? Do you want to kidnap them, the way that she kidnapped Charlie?"

"I want you to let them go home to Margaret Sanders."

"It's not gonna happen."

I stares up into his eyes angrily before turning on my heel and storming out of the office with my pink hair swishing behind.

* * *

** Ino's office. Ino and Naruto are bent over the computer.**

"Try redigitizing and resizing." Naruto suggested.

"I did. The extrapolation protocol got confused by the spread. Hey, you know Shikamaru better than anybody else. So why is he so bent out of shape about this banquet?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because every time someone mentions it, he starts snapping that rubber band around his wrist."

"I mean, what makes you think I know Shikamaru better than anyone else?"

"You're roommates."

"I live above his garage."

"But you see a lot of each other."

"Not really."

"He drives you to work."

"I've never been up to the main house." Naruto slipped.

"The main house?"

"It's at the opposite end of the driveway on the other side of the tennis courts across from pond." Naruto explained.

Sasuke chose that moment to walk into the room.

"Okay, anything on the identity of Charlie's abductor?" he asked.

"I can't clear up this image any more than it is. Tell Sasuke what you told me about living in Shikamaru's garage."

"There's a bedroom, living room, kitchen, another bedroom, a den, two bathrooms-"

"Great. Quite a garage. Can we focus on the case?"

"How many cars does he have in that garage?" Ino asked.

"Including the antique ones, about twelve. And a boat."

"Naruto has never seen the main house because the tennis courts and the pond block the view."

"Well, he must be one of those Naara's." Sasuke said.

"Who are 'those' Naara's?" Naruto asked.

"You know, the Cantilever Group Naara's?"

"Oh my God." Ino gasped.

"The same Cantilever Group that generates more G.N.P. than Europe?" Naruto half asked slash stated.

"Get this. They are the single biggest donors to the Jeffersonian Institution." Ino stated.

Sasuke laughed.

"That makes Shikamaru your boss." He said.

"What do you guys even talk about when he drives you to work?" Ino asked.

"I mostly sleep. Shikamaru mostly yells at the radio."

On the computer screen, the abductor leads the child out of a glass door.

"Okay, if you can't see the guy's face, maybe you can grab a reflection." Sasuke suggested.

"That's a workable idea."

"Well, I'd say thanks, you know, if you didn't say it like it was some kind of a miracle."

* * *

**Sakura's office. She's typing, looking very determined. Shikamaru enters.**

"Chem lab mass spectrometer identifies the particulates in Charlie Sanders' mouth as fluoride."

He looked at me.

"I recognize that look." Shikamaru said.

"What?" I asked.

Shikamaru looks at the rolling board of notes.

"You're writing another book. When you write, you get this stunned look on your face like you stuck a fork in a toaster. Am I in this one too?"

"You weren't in the last one. Fluoride? At what concentration?"

"It's too high for toothpaste." Shikamaru said.

"Put together a list of anything that could conceivably contain fluoride at those levels."

"All right. Do you have time for this?"

"They gave me a car." I said.

"Nice. Who?"

"My publisher. Now I feel like I have to earn it by writing another book."

"Fight coercion in all its forms. You don't write the book, I don't go to the banquet. Solidarity." Shikamaru said.

Shikamaru left and Sasuke entered.

"Ino has a face for the abductor." Sasuke said.

I nodded as Sasuke and then quickly exited the room.

Ino's office. Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino are crowded around the computer.

"I looked on both cameras. This one offered up more reflective surfaces."

"Right at the door." Sasuke said.

"Check this out. By polarizing the image, the computer can interpret the spaces between the white and the dark gaps and fill in the missing pieces."

"Wait. That doesn't look like an adult." Sasuke said.

"When I repolarize the image…"

The blurry picture became clear.

"Shawn Cook." Sasuke groaned.

"The victim's foster brother." I said.

* * *

**Interrogation room. Shawn Cook draws pictures in some spilled water on the table. Sasuke is questioning him as a child advocate sits nearby. Sakura and a juvenile prosecutor watch from outside.**

"Where were you taking Charlie, Shawn?"

"I brought him to the mall to see David."

"I know you brought him to the mall. But we got a picture of you… leading him out of the mall."

He slid a printed image of the picture from Ino's computer screen in front of Shawn.

* * *

"Have you seen much of this kind of thing?" I asked the prosecutor.

"I'm a juvenile prosecutor. I wish I could say kids killing kids was rare."

* * *

"Where were you taking him, Shawn?"

"When can I talk to Margaret?"

"After you answer my questions."

* * *

"Can he do that? Lie to a kid?" I asked the prosecutor angrily.

"We're after a child killer, Dr. Haruno. If the child advocate in there doesn't complain, I sure as hell won't."

"Well, what's the point of having a child advocate if he doesn't advocate for the child?"

"I get the impression that you're a little confused as to what side you're on, Dr. Haruno."

* * *

Sasuke lifted the hem of his shirt.

"Shawn, you know what that is?"

"A scar?"

Sasuke tucked his shirt back in.

"Yeah. Got it when I was playing soldier with my brother Itachi."

"Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, it hurt. But it was an accident. You got any scars?"

Shawn rolled up his sleeve to show a few small, round marks on his arm.

"My dad did it with a cigarette." Shawn said sadly.

"He shouldn't have done that." Sasuke said.

Shawn slid his sleeve back down.

"Margaret didn't do anything like that. I love Margaret."

"What I need to know is if Charlie had some kind of an accident."

Shawn didn't answer.

"Shawn?"

"Maybe we can just take a break." The advocate said.

"Shawn?" Sasuke asked again.

* * *

"He's not being aggressive enough." The prosecutor said.

"Foster kids are powerless. They're treated like garbage. You're in a position to do something about it, and all you have to say is 'He's not being aggressive enough'?"

"Dr. Haruno, you know this boy may very well have beaten a child to death with a rock?"

The prosecutor exited.

* * *

Lab platform. Shimamaru is working, and Ino walks up to him.

"How long have we known each other?" Ino asked.

"Do people really ever know each other?"

"How come you never invited me over to your house?"

"Oh, I didn't pick up that kind of vibe off you."

"I thought we were close. All of us. What else don't I know? Is Naruto from another planet?"

"Oh, come on. That one's obvious."

"You're rich. You single-handedly own the Cantilever Group. Don't deny, I know." Ino crossed her arms.

"Who else knows?" Shikamaru said looking up from his microscope.

"Naruto and Sasuke."

"Don't tell Sakura"

"Why don't you want us to know that you're actually our boss?"

"I don't want to be anybody's boss. I never did. Please respect that." Shikamaru said harshly.

Ino leaves, and Sakura enters.

"What's up with Ino?" I asked Shikamaru.

"It's… job pressure."

There was an awkward pause.

"Fluoride at lower concentrations is used in toothpaste, instant tea, and is added to our drinking water. Which, I might add, can cause a range of conditions, brain damage-"

"Which has nothing to do with the case at hand." I interrupted.

Shikamaru paused for a moment before continuing.

"The concentrations found on our victim might come from wood preservatives, paint thinners, car wax, or various other industrial products."

Shikamaru handed me a list and I stuck it on my clipboard.

"Okay. Did Ino say anything about quitting her job?"

"No. But we hardly know anything about each other." Shikamaru sighed.

* * *

The room where the skeleton is laid out. Sakura is writing notes as Sasuke enters.

"Bones, I thought you'd like to know that Shawn and David are in emergency care. Pulled some strings, you know, to make sure they- they get to stay together."

"That's good, thanks."

"It's the best I could do."

"Yeah, I understand." I said not looking up from my work.

"No, you say you understand, but you don't. Not really. I mean, if you don't like the rule, you ignore it, right?"

He stepped forward and leaned on the table.

"I can't have that. And if you want to do this-"

"Do what?"

"Work on cases, you know, with me. Outside the lab. If you wanna do that, I need to know that you will respect the law."

"Tell you what, if I can't respect the law, I can at least respect you." I said as my voice broke.

"Well- Yeah, that'll work, too. I mean it kind of comes out of nowhere, but-"

I noticed the pencil he broke when he leaned on the table. It now sat in three pieces.

"Look what you did." I pointed at the broken pencil.

"It's a pencil. I'll get you a new one."

"The victim was killed by trauma to the chest, but the ribs are broken in two places, not just one." I said thinking.

"Uh, because of the, uh, brittle bones. Because of his disease."

"Well, that was my assumption, but there's another explanation." I said moving to leave the room.

"Yeah, whoa. What's the other explanation?"

"Compression." I said before finally leaving the room with Sasuke following me.

"Like Charlie Sanders was crushed to death?"

"Yes. Greenstick fractures. Vertebral and sternal."

"Hey, Shawn Cook outweighed Charlie Sanders by, what, thirty pounds? How could he have crushed him to death?" Sasuke said hopefully.

We come across Ino as we entered the lab.

"Ino, we need to run some scenarios through the Inolator."

She walks off, and Sasuke and Ino move to follow. Shikamaru enters from behind.

"Ino, Sasuke!"

They stopped and turned to face him.

"Naruto has been informed that if he tells anyone who I am, I will kick him out on the street like a stray dog. Sadly, there is nothing I can threaten you two with."

"Yeah, that's a shame." Ino said.

"What I want out of my life is to come in here and sift through slime and bugs. Unfortunately, my family is one of those who secretly run the world."

"Paranoia and delusions of grandeur all in one package." Sasuke said.

Sasuke and Ino started to run away again.

"You call it paranoia, I call it the family business. Please could you just stop!"

They did and turned back.

"The reason that I do not want to go to that banquet is that the other members of the ruling elite will make a big fuss about seeing me. My secret will be out and my life, this life that I love, will be ruined. I'm asking you, please, please just let me be Shikamaru Naara who works in the lab."

He exited.

* * *

**Ino's office. Sakura, Sasuke, and Ino are around the Inolator where an image of Charlie Sanders is showing.**

"Charlie was three feet, four inches tall and weighed fifty-eight pounds."

"And Shawn?" I asked.

"Shawn Cook is 1.4 meters tall and weighs 31 kilograms."

"His brother David was 5'8", 150 pounds." Sasuke said.

"1.75 meters, 68 kilograms." Ino converted.

"At first, I thought the break to Charlie's sternum was caused by blunt trauma because it only ran along one fault line. But when Sasuke broke my pencil, I realized there's another way to cause the same type of injury. Compression."

"Shikamaru found no particulates that suggested crushing." Ino said.

"Body weight. There has to be enough weight on the victim to stop the abdomen from moving so no air can get into the lungs." I said.

"Prolonged pressure caused the sternum to snap in half and the ribs to break."

"I entered real-world variables, taking into account Charlie's size and the amount of pressure…

Ino paused for a moment.

…that was required to break Charlie's sternum in the way that it was broken."

"What did you end up with?" Sasuke asked.

"86.2 kilograms."

"What's that in American?"

"190 pounds." I answered for him.

"Way too much for either of the Cook kids or Margaret Sanders." Ino said.

"I'd put the neighborhood kid Skyler at about 160 pounds." Sasuke said.

"It can't be him either." I said.

"We should be looking for a full-grown man." Sasuke stated.

"You have to get Shawn to tell you where he took Charlie when they left the mall."

"He won't talk to me."

"Let me do it." I said.

"Uh, no. You know, people are not your strong point, Bones. And besides, he's not going to care how many facts you put in front of him."

"Could you just go with me on this one, Sasuke? We're trying to catch a killer. Let me help."

"When's the last time you even talked to a kid?"

"I know what to say." I persisted.

* * *

**The interrogation room. Sasuke and the juvenile prosecutor from before are watching from outside as Sakura talks to Shawn as the child advocate observes.**

"Do you remember me, Shawn?"

"The museum lady. The one who's so smart."

"Yeah, I'm pretty smart."

* * *

"And very modest." The prosecutor said from behind the window.

"Oh, believe me, she is being modest." Sasuke said.

* * *

"Smart enough to know that you didn't kill Charlie. You don't have to say anything, Shawn. Just listen. They give you a garbage bag to carry all your stuff, like they're telling you everything you own is garbage. And then you have to go to a new school in clothes that smell like garbage bags."

"All the regular kids know you're a foster kid. How do you know what it's like?"

"They bounce you from place to place, and it's never home. Sometimes the foster parents are nice."

"Like Margaret?"

"Yeah. And sometimes they separate you from your brother. It must have been nice with Margaret, staying with David."

"We got bunk beds. At night, I knew David was there. Like he was guarding me. Margaret's nice." Shawn said starting to cry.

"You'd do almost anything to stay with Margaret, right?"

Shawn nodded.

"The man you took Charlie to, the man who hurt him, he knows that. You didn't know that he'd hurt Charlie, but he did. And then he told you that Margaret would blame you, that she'd hate you. But this man is lying to you, Shawn. I can make sure that you go back to Margaret."

"How? You work at a museum."

"I have a friend at the FBI. If I ask him to, he will make sure that you and David get to live with Margaret again." I said looking through the one way mirror at Sasuke.

"Dr. Haruno, you can't make promises like that." The advocate said.

"Yes, I can. He will do it. My friend will make it happen."

"But you will have to tell me who hurt Charlie."

* * *

"Oh, man." Sasuke said from behind the window.

"I'm gonna need your help to keep the promises she made to that boy."

"Hey, I- I can't promise- "

"Mrs. Johnson, my people and your people are gonna have to make this happen."

* * *

"What if Margaret doesn't want me anymore? Charlie was her real son."

"Charlie wasn't her biological son either. Charlie was just like you: someone that Margaret chose to love. I don't think we should let that man take you and David and Charlie away from Margaret, do you?"

Shawn shook his head.

"We should stop him. You and I should stop him."

Shawn sits in silence, crying for a moment, before wrapping Sakura in a hug. He whispers something into her ear.

* * *

"She did it. She got his name." Sasuke smirked.

* * *

**The street outside the Sanders house. Sasuke pulls up as Skyler and his father are loading up their vehicle to go off on a job.**

"Edward Nelson, you are under arrest for the sexual assault and murder of Charlie Sanders. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you free of charge…"

Sasuke leads Edward Nelson to the FBI vehicle in handcuffs as Sakura watches Mrs. Nelson talk to her son. Both Sasuke and Sakura watching as Skyler hugs his crying mother.

* * *

**FBI building. Sasuke enters with Margaret Sanders.**

"Boys." Margaret smiled.

David and Shawn rush up and hug her.

"Mom!" They both exclaimed.

Sasuke and Sakura lock eyes over the hugging family.

"Are we gonna be a family again?" Shawn asked.

"Oh, you betcha." Margaret guaranteed.

* * *

**Sakura's office. Sasuke enters.**

"We have him cold. The insecticide he was using on the termites matches the fluoride concentration perfectly. Skyler's dad admitted everything."

"Don't tell me, he said crushing Charlie to death was a mistake."

"He never abused Shawn Cook, he just used him to get near Charlie. It played out just like you said. He had Charlie out in that field. Some teenage kids, they come by, so he knelt on Charlie to keep him from crying out. Shawn got scared and ran back to his brother."

"Charlie was small and weak. His sternum collapsed. You think he abused any other kids." I asked.

"Yeah, probably his own son."

"You report that to Child Services?"

"Mm-hmm. Try to get the kid some help." Sasuke said before pausing.

"Look, I'm sorry."

"For what?" I questioned.

"You have personal experience in the system."

I paused from what I was doing for a moment.

"I was a foster child until my grandfather got me out."

"Yeah, when you said 'They take you away from your brother,' I kind of had the feeling you weren't talking about David Cook."

"Sasuke, I'll tell you all about it one day, but tonight I have to get dressed for a party."

"Oh. Okay, Bones."

He moved to leave.

"By the way, there's a huge ding in my passenger-side door because you told me not to park it at an angle."

"What?" Sasuke laughed.

"Okay, that's just mean. You're mean." I pouted.

"Sorry." Sasuke said still laughing as he exited.

* * *

**Jiraiya enters, where Ino, Naruto, and Shikamaru are already standing. With the exception of the latter, they are all dressed in formal attire.**

"That is not a tuxedo, Dr. Naara."

"I am not going, Dr. Jiraiya."

"You are going."

"When we arrive, the donor's will all be wearing nametags."

He handed a name tag to Naruto.

"What do we talk about?" Naruto asked.

"Your work, of course."

He moved on to Ino.

"Naruto's work consists of removing flesh from corpses. Shikamaru dissects bugs that have been eating people's eyeballs."

"Leave me out of it. I'm not going." Shikamaru cut in.

"And how do you see your job?" The director asked.

"I draw death masks."

"Is that really how you see it?"

"Don't you?"

"You are the best of us, Miss Yamaka. You discern humanity in the wreck of a ruined human body. You give victims back their faces, their identities. You remind us all of why we're here in the first place. Because we treasure human life."

She paused for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping Dr. Jiraiya in a hug.

"Oh, for God's sake." Jiraiya groaned.

Sakura enters in a formal dress.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Apparently all Ino needed was to hear her job description in a deep tone."

"Mr. Uzumaki." scolded Jiraiya.

Sasuke then entered.

"Dr. Jiraiya, we need Naara in the lab tonight."

Sasuke handed an evidence bag full of dirt to Shikamaru.

"FBI needs this analyzed by morning."

"Uh, I'll get right on it."

"Wait a minute, what case file is this?" Jiraiya asked.

"Am I supposed to know about it?" I asked.

"Sasuke mentioned it to me earlier today." Ino lied.

"That's good enough for me." I said.

"Fine. You're off the hook, Dr. Naara. Let's not keep the limo waiting." the director conceded.

He left with Ino and Naruto following.

"Thanks." Shikamaru said to Sasuke.

Shikamaru then left as well.

"You look nice. Better than nice, you look, uh... very…" Sasuke started.

"Thanks." I said with a smile looking up into his onxy eyes.

"Bones, how did you know I was gonna keep your promise?"

"What promise?"

"To get Shawn and David back with Margaret Sanders."

"Maybe I was lying. To catch the bad guy. I learned that trick from you. The end justifies the means."

Sasuke nodded then moved to leave.

"Sasuke."

He stopped and turned back.

"I knew you'd back me up. I knew you wouldn't make me a liar."

"Hmm. How did you know?"

"Because you want to go to heaven."

"But you don't believe in heaven."

"But you do." I smiled.

We smiled at each other before parting ways.

I smiled at the ground. I couldn't help but admire how good Sasuke looked with a smile on his face. A little blush crept up my cheeks.

* * *

**AN: alright so that's the end of this chapter. Sasuke and Sakura are growing closer and learning more about each other. **

**So if you see any spots where I have spelling something wrong please let me know. You can just send me a PM. I hope you enjoy and please review. It lets me know if you guys are liking it and want more :)**

**Review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**The man on death row**

**Chapter 6**

**enjoy :)**

**FBI Building conference room. Sasuke and Sakura are sitting at a table.**

"Name?"

"You know my name."

"Bones, you are making an official request to the FBI to be allowed to carry a concealed weapon. I have to follow protocol."

"It's ridiculous."

"Fine, then we're done here. Do you wanna get some coffee…?"

"My name is Dr. Sakura Haruno."

"Reason for wanting a gun?'

"To shoot people."

"Not a good response."

"It's the truth."

"You know, I'm writing "self defence in the performance of my duties pursuing suspected felons as contracted out to the FBI."

"So I can shoot them."

"Ever been charged with a felony?"

"Charged, or convicted?"

"Charged."

"You know I have."

"I have to ask the questions."

"Bureaucratic nonsense."

"Nevertheless, name of the arresting officer?"

"You… Special Agent Sasuke Uchiha. Do you need me to spell that for you?"

He smirked.

"I can sound that out."

"So when do I get the gun?"

"You can't have a gun."

"Why not?"

"Because you were charged with a felony."

"Write down that you were wrong to charge me."

"Oh, there's no space for that."

"Why'd we go through all of this if you were never going to give me a gun?"

"You have a constitutional right to apply for a weapon. I would never deny your constitutional right."

"But I need a gun!"

"Rules are rules."

"Tell them that I shot a murderer who was going to light me on fire."

"Which is why you weren't convicted. But you did shoot an unarmed man. I… I can't ignore that. I swore an oath to protect society from people who shoot people."

"It was only his leg, and he's in jail for the rest of his life, how much is he gonna use it anyway?"

"You have the right to an appeal."

"To whom? (off Sasuke's look) Hatake? I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right."

**FBI Building, outer office**

"Bones, you don't need a gun. If anyone needs shooting, I'll do it.'

"What if you're injured or dead, and someone still needs shooting? Well, I'm not hoping it'll happen, I'm just stating a possibility."

"Come on, you know what, Bones? You're a professor; you're not an FBI agent. Use your mutant powers… just talk people to death."

"Am I interrupting?" The woman asked.

"I told them not to let you in this building. I gave them your picture."

"Which is why I wore the tiny skirt."

"Very cute." Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Karin."

"Sakura."

"You work with Sasuke?"

"Yes, I'm a forensic anthropologist."

"I'm a defence lawyer. I tend to work against Sasuke."

"If it's all the same, I'd prefer you two didn't bond in any way." Sasuke interjected.

"Hey, I want to get back to the lab. You said I could fill out some gun reapplication forms."

"Yeah. Send it back by courier. No hurry." Sasuke said.

"Nice to meet you." I said before leaving.

"What do you want, Amy?" Sasuke asked when Sakura was gone.

"You remember Orochimaru?"

"Not likely to forget him."

"He's scheduled to be executed tomorrow night. My job is to keep that from happening."

"Huh, best of luck."

"Orochimaru deserves five minutes of consideration from the man who put him on death row."

"I arrested Orochimaru, okay? It was the jury who sentenced him to die."

"They found a pubic hair on the victim at the crime scene. It didn't belong to my client. They never figured out whose it was."

"Blame the judge who disallowed it as evidence, and the judge who disallowed it on appeal."

"Orochimaru was not well-represented at either trial."

"How long have you been on the case?"

"Almost a week."

"Less than a week, huh? Two judges, two juries, two prosecutors that find Orochimaru guilty, but yet it's me you come after."

"I'm asking, are you absolutely positive that Orochimaru killed that girl?"

"Yeah. I am absolutely positive."

"You know in your heart the judges should have allowed the juries to hear that that victim was with another man that night. You know it."

"Orochimaru still would have been convicted."

"Not if I'd been his lawyer."

"You weren't."

"I am now. When was the last time you looked him in the face? Cause you're a lot smarter than you were seven years ago. A lot less angry. You might want to check out the evidence again."

* * *

**Prison, visitation room**

"I'd ask how you were doing, Orochimaru, but I guess we both know the answer."

"Agent Uchiha. Did you come to apologise?"

"I'm not the one who beat a 17-year-old girl to death. Your attorney wants me to look you in the face."

"Why?"

"She thinks you're innocent."

"She's right about that. I didn't kill anybody. Unlike you, the sniper. The girl who got murdered was smart, she was pretty, she was from a good family. Someone has to die for that, and I'm all they've got."

"Okay. I looked you in the face."

"I read it can be hell. They say it's like going to sleep, but you're on fire. And you're paralysed so you can't scream. I mean, that's all you've got sometimes, you know? The scream." Orochimaru said with a sly smile as Sasuke exited the room.

* * *

**Jeffersonian, Medicolegal lab**  
**Shikamaru and Naruto are racing beetles**

"What if they get mixed up?" Shikamaru asked.

"I can tell them apart. That's Jeff, and that's Ollie. I win."

"What do you… what? That one was mine."

"You had Jeff, I had Ollie. Ollie won. You owe me a buck."

"You want in on the action, Ino?" Shikamaru teased.

"No, thank you. I'm going to go have sex."

"Have a good time." Shikamaru said looking down a the bugs not really registering what she just said.

"Okay. Sure you don't want to come? Troy can call a friend."

"I've been waiting months for these. It's a partial skeleton from southern France. The Institute…"

"You know, the whole point of the week is the weekend. This is not the cabaret, my friend. Life is the cabaret. Come to the cabaret. It's like describing the moon to a mole."

"I demand another beetle, alright? Jeff's got a groin pull."

"Arthropods do not possess groins. Pay up."

Sasuke walked in.

"Mmm, Ino. Looking good."

"And don't I know it."

"Okay, our tax dollars hard at work." Sasuke joked seeing what Shikamaru and Naruto were doing.

"Yeah, what's break time at the FBI? Book burning?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hey Bones, what are you doing this weekend?"

"I have plans."

"Come on, I'm serious."

"Between your girlfriend the corporate lawyer and the defence lawyer on the side, your weekend must be completely booked. What is your thing with lawyers?"

"Look, seven years ago, a 17-year-old girl, April Wright, was found beaten to death in a federal park. Karin's just trying to stop the guy who did it from being executed."

"So I guess we're not pursuing your lawyer obsession?"

"No, Karin doesn't think he did it."

"And what does this have to do with you?"

"Oh, well, if Karin's client is deep-sixed and she doesn't turn over every stone…"

"And you're one of her stones. Do you think he did it?"

"Yes."

"What's her reasoning?"

"There was a pubic hair that wasn't accounted for."

"Pubic hair? Sounds like a job for the FBI crime lab."

"It's a weekend deal. Off the books. But if you have plans… "

"Wait. This is a personal favour you're asking?"

"Not for me, for Karin."

"Well, your personal favour would be for Karin, but mine would be for you, strictly speaking."

"Please do me a favour. Please?"

"Any remains withheld from burial?" I asked.

"Not after the last appeal."

"I'd need X-rays from the ME and the coroner. Originals, the copies are useless. Bone scrapings, lab results, tox screens."

"All the evidence will be here within an hour."

"I'll ask the others, but I won't order them. They might have plans."

"It's Friday night, and they're racing beetles." Sasuke stated.

"How much time do we have?"

"Orochimaru will be executed in 30 hours and 23 minutes."

* * *

**Jeffersonian, Medicolegal lab**

"Let's start. Naruto, pull up the first X-ray. Stress fractures on both tibias."

"What does that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Pre-existing the assault, probably an old injury from dance or running." Naruto said.

"She was a cheerleader."

"The Chinese used to execute people by cutting small pieces of flesh off their bodies. Called it the death of 1000 cuts." Shikamaru said randomly.

"Compound fractures of the trapezium, scaphoid and the base of the radius."

"What's that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"When she was being beaten to death with a blunt instrument, she threw her arm up to defend herself." Naruto again explained.

"Well that's consistent with the defensive wounds in the autopsy report." Sasuke said.

"In medieval Scotland, they'd tie a convict's arms and legs to two bent saplings. When they released the saplings, the trees sprang apart and the convicted felon was torn in half. Should I grab particulates from this?" Shikamaru sounded like he was enjoying telling us all of this.

"That's clean. It's a phone number we found on the girl - belonged to an old woman in a nursing home with no connection to anyone involved." Sasuke said.

"Extensive damage to the skull, smashed six to eight times with a narrow cylindrical object."

"The tire iron was missing from April Wright's car."

"Autopsy showed she'd had sex shortly before her death." Shikamaru said.

"Consensual. No assault." Sasuke said.

"The hair they found was never matched to anyone?" Naruto asked.

"No, the prosecution got it excluded from evidence both in trial and on appeal." Sasuke said.

"That's the basis of your lawyer's last-ditch attempt to stop the execution?" I said.

"Yeah, and whatever else you guys can find."

"There are particles lodged between the left triquetral and the capitate."

"The ME concluded that they were bone fragments dislodged by the tire iron." Naruto answered.

"No, these radiographic shadows are too opaque for bone."

"What's that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"The prosecution's theory of the crime does not include foreign matter in the bone."

"Let's see if these shadows are bone fragments or something else."

"Like what?" Sasuke asked.

"Let's pretend we're objective scientists and not indulge in conjecture. Naruto, get a driver to take you over to Greenbelt Park. I want you to take pictures of the area where the body was found. Ground covering, paved areas."

"Why does he need a driver?" Sasuke asked.

"I can't drive."

"You're a genius who can't drive?"

"If you knew what I know about structural design, you wouldn't drive either."

"Take the file. Get photos of the surrounding areas so that we can contextualize the materials we found."

Sasukes phone then rang.

"Uchiha. Yeah. Yes, I'll be right there. That was April Wright's father." he told me.

"A murder victim's dad called you?"

"His wife's a wreck. They heard that Karin's angling for a last minute reprieve."

"Why did he call you."

"Because Sasuke was the agent that arrested Orochimaru in the first place."

"You know, I'm pretty sure that that evidence is not in the file."

"Earlier you said "It's a phone number that we found on the girl.""

"Wait. You're trying to save someone you arrested for murder?" Shikamaru asked.

"Alright, you know, I think he did it. I think this scumbag bashed April Wright to death with a tire iron. "

"We've found some anomalies in the prosecution's case. Do you want us to stop now before these anomalies become meaningful?"

"No. Stay on it. I gotta get going."

**Jeffersonian, Medicolegal lab**

"You guys are pathetic. It's Friday night." Ino said.

"There's nothing pathetic about pro bono work on a death penalty case." Shikamaru said.

"Everybody, this is Troy."

"Hey, how you doing?"

"Could you just wait here one second?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you call me in? Look at this guy. He's cuter than a monkey with a puppy." Ino asked.

"Uh-huh. I really, really need you to do texture analysis on seven year old X-rays."

"But I am on a date. With Troy. He's a man. Wave. What's the big steaming gigantic rush."

"A man is scheduled to die in 26 hours. I think he'd like the results of our findings before then."

"Good one. Troy, sweetie. I've got a few things to do around here. Do you mind just hanging out for a little while?"

"Um, sure, no problem. Let me just call the restaurant and tell them we'll be late. What do you think, half an hour?"

"You'd better make it an hour, minimum."

"Okay."

Shikamaru's phone then rang.

"Naara."

"Most recondite codes have a complex numerical cipher."

"That's a fun factoid, Naruto. Thank you." Shikamaru said.

"12402510221. That's the number they found on the victim."

"Yeah, you're the one with the photographic memory. I'm the one that's good with the ladies."

"It's not a phone number." Naruto said.

Troy wandered over to Shikamaru's desk.

"Hey. So, uh, what exactly do they do here? I thought Ino was an artist."

"She is. We do mostly forensic identification and reconstruction of discorporated remains. My specialty's entomology and particulates. You ever seen maggots? I just got these in."

"Do not talk to him. Wait in the lounge, baby. It's up those stairs right over there. Don't talk to anybody." Ino said ushering him away.

"Okay."

**Jeffersonian, lab platform**

"What'd you find?" Shikamaru asked.

"A shard of bone. How'd they miss that?"

"They're not as good as we are. 40x magnification. Well, that's not bone. It's inorganic. Mineral, possibly quartz."

"I was out taking the pictures you needed and there was a sign and numbers on the ground, and I thought 'why assume a quasi-randomly generated…'"

"Naruto. When you talk that fast, human beings can't hear you."

"The number they found on the girl. 12402510221. Everyone assumed it was a phone number. But what if, instead of spacing the numbers like a phone number, you space them like this? I was in the park taking pictures, and I saw that the parking space was numbered 221. To get to picnic area 10, you go through gate 25."

"Seems more than a coincidence." I said.

"1240, what do those represent?" Shikamaru asked.

"The time. 12:40. It's when she was gonna meet whoever she was meeting."

"It fits with the timeline. He's weird, but he's smart." Shikamaru said.

"April Wright was setting up a date."

"Probably with the guy who left the pubic hair on her."

"Good job, Naruto."

"I got something. It's not quite so idiot savant, but it's aggregate gravel."

"What if the rest of the shadows on the X-rays were also gravel?" I asked.

"There was no gravel where her body was found. It was all grass."

"Then she was killed someplace else. We have to exhume our victim's body." I said.

* * *

**Wright house, entryway / living room**

"It's very stressful waiting for this all to be over, and now we hear Orochimaru's lawyers are trying for a reprieve."

"I heard."

"He got himself a young lawyer from the Innocence Project. They don't consider the families of the victims." The lawyer said.

"You remember our lawyer, David Ross. Agent Uchiha is the investigator who caught Orochimaru."

"Is this ever going to be over?" The wife asked.

"I understand how difficult this is, Mrs Wright."

"Orochimaru killed my daughter. You believe that, don't you, Agent Uchiha?"

"Yes ma'am. I haven't changed my mind."

"He deserves to die for what he did."

"The jury thought so, the judge thought so. All these appeals…" The husband said.

"It's part of the process, that's all."

"Each effort to stop his execution is more and more desperate. This one's not gonna work either. It's the third time they've launched an appeal, and it's gonna be the third time they fail." David said.

"She wanted to be a lawyer. David was her role model. He gave her a job at his firm on the weekends."

"She was a good worker."

"She was a beautiful girl. Excuse me. (answering cell phone) Uchiha."

"It's me, I'm with Karin." I said.

"I don't like the sound of that."

"We're going to see the judge. I'm going to try to get an exhumation order." Karin said.

"What? Why?"

"We found evidence April may not have been killed where they found her body. You want details?"

"Um, it's not a good time."

"We need to look at April's remains."

"Naruto decoded the phone number."

"Who decodes phone numbers?"

"It's not a phone number. April met someone in Greenbelt Park the night she was murdered."

"So she met someone in the park. What does that prove?"

"Is this about April?" Mrs. Wright asked.

"Let me get right back to you."

"What's happening now?" The wife asked.

"Apparently some new evidence has surfaced."

"What kind of evidence?"

"Why don't you give me a few minutes with Agent Uchiha? Let me evaluate these new developments." David said.

"Let's get some coffee." Mr. Wright said.

"So this new evidence. Is this something they can bear to hear?"

"Well, it concerns the person April had sexual relations with the night she was murdered."

"The judge ruled that irrelevant."

"It's always hung there as a question. It's always the basis of the appeal. If we could just ID the guy, this whole issue would just disappear."

"It was sex in a car. It was probably another teenager. Some kid too scared to come forward."

"Nobody said anything about sex being in the car." Sasuke said suspiciously.

"It was a parking lot. I assume the sex act took place inside a car."

"When April worked for your law firm on the weekends, what did she do, the filing?"

"That's right."

"Who was with her in the office?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, a 17 year old girl. I'm sure you just wouldn't leave her in there all by herself. What? You can't remember? I'm sure the security logs will be able to tell us something. Refresh my memory, Mr Ross. Where were you the night that April was killed? Say around 12:30?"

"Now's the time that I ask for my lawyer, and say nothing."

* * *

**Car**

"So, are you seeing each other?"

"Who?" I asked.

"You and Uchiha." Karin said.

"No. No, we're working together."

"Cause I'm picking up a bit of a sex vibe."

"No, that's tension. He has a girlfriend."

"Tall, blonde, beautiful?"

"A lawyer. And brunette. Her names Tenten."

"Figures. Should've jumped him when I had the chance."

"You're really interested in Sasuke?"

"You aren't?" Karin asked.

"No."

"Well then why are you helping him?"

"Because he asked me. He said please."

"Come on. You think he's hot."

"No. Not at all. This is a very interesting case."

"Uchiha did say you had some kind of mania for the truth."

"Mania? As in maniac?"

"I'm not sure he meant it as a bad thing. Which obviously is how you're taking it."

* * *

**FBI building, interrogation room**

"You want to start, or shall I?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm sorry sir, I…"

"I'll start. I'm thinking of suspending you for freelancing on a death penalty case we cleared seven years ago."

"My intention was just to tie up a few loose ends."

"Do you disapprove of the death penalty on a principle…?"

"No sir. I have no problem with the death penalty."

"Because I hear that you're working for a particularly attractive, idealist…" Kakashi started.

"Not true! I mean yes, she's young, she's an idealist, but I'm not working for her. No. Like I said, there was a loose end, and I arrested Orochimaru. I provided the evidence which led to the death sentence."

"That's your job."

"I need to be sure, that's all. This guy was her godfather. I believe he had sex with a 17-year-old girl the same night she was murdered. A fact that the jury never heard, by the way. He's married. He's partners in a law firm. The guy's got everything to lose."

"If you want to question him, fine. Is that the end of your involvement, Agent Uchiha?"

"Not exactly. They're moving to exhume the victim's body, sir."

"On whose recommendation?"

"The young idealist lawyer… and Dr. Haruno."

"Got the squints involved. Well, if she shoots anybody this time, I sure as hell hope it's you."

* * *

**Jeffersonian, Angela's office**

(in interview on TV) "I did not kill April Wright. There are good people out there… you know, people who believe me. People who know I did not kill that girl because they saw the evidence."

"I honestly think he's innocent. Don't you?" Karin said.

"I don't like to form any conclusions before all the evidence is in." I said.

"April Wright's body just arrived." Ino said.

"You might be more comfortable staying here." I told Karin.

* * *

**Jeffersonian, lab platform**

"The left triquetral." Naruto said.

"It's a match. For the record, do you concur?" I asked.

"I concur."

"We've got several pieces of foreign material lodged in the bone."

"It's the same stuff we found in the shard." Shikamaru said.

"Which is consistent with the arm being dragged through gravel after the attack." Ino said.

"I got a warrant to search the house of the guy April Wright had sex with the night she was murdered." Sasuke said.

"What'd you find?" I asked.

"Underwear. Can you run a comparison on the hair?"

Naruto and Shikamaru played rock paper scissors to see who had to do it and Naruto lost.

"Is that April Wright?" Sasuke asked.

"Looks like she wasn't killed where she was found." I said.

"Then where was she murdered?"

"We've got microscopic particles beaten into the skull. Were these ever ID'd?" I asked.

"According to the autopsy report, no." Shikamaru said.

"It's a visual match." Naruto said.

"Where's Karin?"

"I'm here. I can't…"

"It's okay. Things can get pretty, you know, disgusting around here." Sasuke said.

"I concur with Zack. We have a visual match on the pubic hair." Ino said.

"Is a visual match enough to stop the execution?"

"We need DNA to be sure." Karin said.

"Karin's right. This evidence isn't enough to stop the execution."

"And you've got nothing else. Nothing at all?" Karin asked.

"I don't know what else we can do." I said.

"If you tell the judge you've changed your mind, that Orochimaru is not guilty…" Karin said.

"Have you changed your mind?" I asked Sasuke.

"No. I have doubts that the guy should be executed, but… let's go see the judge."

* * *

**Car**

"I'll go out to the prison and tell Orochimaru that the judge didn't agree." Karin said.

"I'll take another look at the skull, see if we didn't miss something."

"Bones…"

"The particulates in the skull still haven't been analysed yet."

"This is so barbaric. When are they gonna put a stop to the damn death penalty?"

"I believe in the death penalty." I said.

"What?" Karin exclaimed.

"There are certain people that shouldn't be in this world. The people who hacked hundreds of innocent children to death in Rwanda, beheaded them at their desks at school. The people who did that? They should be executed."

"So why do you care about Orochimaru?"

"Because the facts have to add up. Drop me at the lab, please."

* * *

**Jeffersonian, Medicolegal lab**

"These are slivers of metal found on the skull." Shikamaru said.

"Probably from the tire iron."

"Is that blood?" I asked.

"It's silt. I'm breaking it down. It contains traces of two chemicals."

"Anthracene and fluoranthene." Naruto said.

"I've scanned in all the X-rays and built a 3-D model. Kiba would have liked that. Bastard. He dumped me when he saw the body."

"I've found some more material in the fractures along the sagittal suture." I said.

"It's pollen." Shikamaru said.

"The pollen is from Spartina alterniflora, more commonly known as smooth cord grass."

"I'm sorry, what does pollen tell us about April Wright's murder?" Karin asked.

"Ino? The murder weapon collected pollen from the surrounding flora. When she was struck, pollen from the murder weapon was deposited in April's skull."

"Spartina alterniflora is only found along Chesapeake Bay." Shikamaru said.

"The pollen and silt both showed traces of complex chemicals."

"What does that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"April Wright was killed in a marsh near a chemical plant." I said.

Karin's phone then rang.

"Karin. Thanks."

"They've moved Orochimaru to the imminent room."

"What's that?" Ino asked.

"It's where he has his last meal and says goodbye to his family. We need the location of that marsh."

* * *

**FBI Building, interrogation room**

"Look, the hair that we found proves that you had sex with April Wright. You're going to be charged with statutory rape."

"But not by you. Statutory rape is not a federal crime. So I'm left to assume that you're here to get my client to confess to murder."

"It adds up. It tracks."

"I didn't kill April."

"You met April in the park, but she was killed somewhere else… near a chemical plant?"

"I don't know anything about that."

"You had sex with her. She threatened to tell her family. You couldn't let that happen."

"No." David denied.

"You'd lose your business, your professional standing."

"No."

"Do not engage with him, David." His lawyer said.

"You had motive, you had means, you had opportunity."

"I didn't kill her."

"Then why aren't you helping us?"

"What?"

"By not admitting that you were there that night, by not confessing that you were with her, you're clouding the issue."

"So what? Orochimaru will still be in jail for the rest of his life."

"We are not discussing the events of that night, Agent Uchiha." The lawyer said.

"You are the only person who can tell us what happened that night. Do you care at all about what happened to her?"

"Okay, look, I went there that night just to talk, okay? That's all."

"This interview is over." The lawyer said.

"No, I… just to talk. I'm not proud of what happened, alright? I could tell you exactly why it happened, but I'm not proud of it. I shouldn't have let myself get pulled in. I didn't know it was her first time, I didn't know she'd get so upset. She ran off."

"Are you telling me you left her in that park?"

"No, I looked for her. I waited for her for over two hours. Finally I figured she called somebody to come get her."

"Was her car still there when you left?"

"Yes, it was."

"What time was that?"

"I guess after 2AM."

"Did you see anyone else?"

"Yeah, there was traffic, there was some traffic. It was all teenagers. After 1AM, there was nothing. Look, maybe it is my fault that he got to her. You know, maybe I should got to jail for that."

* * *

**FBI Building, conference room**

"He admits to having sex with her?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes sir."

"Did he kill her?"

"Well he's either telling the truth, or he's setting up his defence."

"So April Wright met David Ross for a sexual liaison. He took her to a second, unknown location, beat her to death, and deposited the body back at the park. That's sketchy."

"Which is why we have to find the murder weapon." I said.

"Find a tire iron in a marsh after seven years? That's a long shot."

"That's why we need metal detectors and GPR." I said.

"And a dozen or so agents, sir."

"And if you find this tire iron, you can positively identify it as the murder weapon?"

"It's possible we can match the traces we found in April's skull."

"Possible? No. Orochimaru' lawyer should present this argument to the judge and let him decide."

"Sir, without the murder weapon, he will not stay the execution."

"Way out on a limb here, Uchiha."

"He's just trying to find the truth. Why should he be penalised for…?"

"Take the equipment and the men you need." Kakashi cut into me.

"Thank you sir." Sasuke said.

"She can't have a gun."

"No gun. Absolutely not. No gun. Thank you, sir."

* * *

**Jeffersonian, Medicolegal lab**

"I'm plugging in all the data from the area to get the location with the closest match." Ino said.

"Given the chemicals in the soil and the pollen, I'd say we're looking for a spot near the Rock Hall processing plant." Shikamaru said.

"We'll have video relay when we get to the bay, and I need pictures of the type of grass we're looking for." I said.

"Okay." Shikamaru said.

* * *

**Chesapeake Bay**

"There are four areas that have Spartina alterniflora." I said.

"It's a muddy area. Knee-high grass." Shikamaru said.

"It's just off that service road." Sasuke said.

Agents are searching the area with metal detectors

"We got it. We got it." An agent said.

"Let me know what you pull up." Agent 2 said.

"We've got the tire iron." The first agent said.

"Over here! There's something else here." A third agent said.

"Here. I got something. It's more than a tire iron. Is that what I think it is?" Sasuke said.

"Bones. I need a shovel! She's digging here." Sasuke shouted.

"Right away, sir." A fourth agent said.

"Ma'am (hands her a shovel). Agent Uchiha." A fifth agent said.

"Are you gonna help?" I asked Sasuke.

"Well I would, but this is a $1200 suit."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't slept in 48 hours and you're worried about your suit? Get over here."

"Fine. Can I get a shovel? Thanks."

"Dig gently. Small layers at a time. What would you usually be doing?"

"What?"

"If it were a normal weekend."

"You want to discuss this now?"

"Compared to you with your multiple sex partners…"

"You know, that's none of your business, okay? I'm not having sex with Karin, and I have never ever cheated on any woman that I've ever been with. Never!"

"I just asked what you'd normally be doing."

"I'd be at a movie, dancing… being with somebody that I care about. You?"

We finally uncovered what we were digging for.

"Okay, what the hell's going on here?" Sasuke questioned.

"Female, approximately 17 to 25 years old, blunt trauma to the skull. Also female, same approximate age, same type of injury." I said observing a new skeleton we had uncovered.

"This doesn't fit with Ross. If he killed April, it was a panic murder – personal, not serial."

"Both these victims have been dead for at least five years."

"Maybe more than seven?"

"Yes."

"Orochimaru. It was Orochimaru. He snatched April from the park after she ran from Ross, and brought her here to his killing grounds."

"Why did he take her back to the park?" I asked.

"He watched them have sex; he saw them argue. Orochimaru knew suspicions would fall on Ross, and he took her back."

"And stole her car." I said.

"We got played."

"What? How?" I asked.

"Either way, Orochimaru wins. We find Ross, the execution is stopped. We find these bodies…"

"The execution is stayed until these murders are investigated."

"If I don't make this call, he's gonna be dead in half an hour." Sasuke said.

"But these women, they deserve to be heard. It's what we do, Sasuke. The rest…"

"Lawyers." Sasuke said.

"Lawyers." I agreed.

"Karin, it's Sasuke. I think we got you your stay of execution, but you're not gonna like it much."

* * *

**Prison, visitation room**

"Thank you. All I can say is thank you." Orochimaru said.

"What's that, Orochimaru? Practising to get jury sympathy?" Sasuke said.

"I did not kill anyone. Thank you. I mean it." Orochimaru said sitting down across from me.

"We found the tire iron. You'll be found guilty of these murders."

"Well, I need a good lawyer. These murder investigations take a long time. Then there's the appeals. And since I should have been dead half an hour ago, it's all gravy from now on."

"We gave him everything he wanted."

"Who knows if there'll even be a death penalty then? I mean, that's your dream, isn't it? We want the same things from life."

Karin left the room.

"And I owe you too. I read your book. When I read you were working with Uchiha here, I knew you were just what I needed."

He reached for my hand so I slammed his wrist down on the table effectively breaking it.

"You gonna arrest me for assault?" I asked Sasuke.

"From what I saw, purely self defence."

"Maybe I shouldn't carry a gun after all."

"Hell, you can have mine." Sasuke laughed.

* * *

**Sid's**

"What's the matter with you two?" Te chef asked.

"Bad day at work." Sasuke said.

"Well that's what you get for working on weekends. You ever hear about taking some time off, having a little fun?"

"Why, what'd you do?" I asked.

"I'd be breaking about six different laws if I just told you how I manoeuvred on my Saturday nights. But I will bring you some food."

"I'm not hungry."

"No use arguing with Sid, Bones."

"Are you in trouble with your boss?" I asked.

"I'm sorry for wrecking your weekend for nothing."

"No, not for nothing."

"Come on, you know what I mean. You know, all that running around, it didn't change anything. Orochimaru was guilty. He was always guilty." Sasuke said.

"There was doubt. We had an obligation to respect that doubt. We all share in the death of every human being."

"Very poetic."

"No, very literal. We all share DNA. When I look at a bone, it's not some artefact that I can separate from myself. It's a part of a person who got here the same way I did. It should never be easy to take someone's life. I don't care who it is. What? What?"

"You know, you've been practicing your Nobel prize speech just a little too much." Sasuke joked.

"Scallops in Szechwan sauce, duck fried rice."

"Here you go."

"Apple pie, hot cup of joe. To simple pleasures, my friends. Simple pleasures."  
Sasuke and I toasted before digging into our meals.

* * *

**AN: Alright so the end of another chapter. This won't be the last we see of Orochimaru. He's gonna come back in and I really suggest you keep reading because those are gonna be really good. So again if you see any spelling errors just let me know. I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please suggest it to others and continue to read. I should have another chapter up soon. **

**Review. Tell me what you think and if you want more :)**


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